The juggle is real for Emily MacDonagh. She combines her job as an NHS doctor with writing bestselling books, and being a mum to three children and two stepchildren from her marriage to pop star Peter Andre. Here, Emily, 35, chats to heat about her hectic family life with Pete, 52, and their kids – Amelia, 11, Theo, eight, and 16-month-old Arabella, plus Junior, 20, and Princess, 18.
Being a doctor and a mum must be really demanding – how do you find the work/life balance?
I do my best. You’re just trying to juggle everything, but I think everyone does. A lot of it, for me, is about accepting that and going, ‘That’s alright, I can’t do everything perfectly.’ It took me a while because I’m a horrible perfectionist. It’s not a very good trait of mine. A few weeks ago, I sent Millie [Amelia] into school in her PE kit instead of her uniform on the wrong day. Probably a few years ago, I’d have gone, ‘Oh my God, she’s got the wrong kit! I need to drop it in.’But I sat there and went, ‘Well, the school haven’t phoned me, so I think it’s alright.’ You have to accept your limitations and know you’re never going to do it perfectly.You can only ever do your best.
Are you and Pete usually on the same page about parenting?
Generally, we’re very similar, and I think that’s why it works. There are some things where I’m stricter, and Pete’s more strict on others, but I think that’s a good thing because it means overall, there’s a good breadth of rules. I’m definitely stricter on what they eat and drink, and screen time, while Pete is very strict on manners. If he feels like one of the kids is starting to talk back, he’ll be straight on it, but then at breakfast he’ll let them have Nutella!
What is it like to have the children range from one all the way to 20?
It’s so nice – we’ve got the full spread here. What’s so good about having the big age range is that you see them all at different stages of their lives. And seeing the dynamic between all of them is lovely. Obviously, they bicker – especially Millie and Theo – but they really love each other so much, all of them.
Do you and Pete ever get the chance to spend quality time together?
It’s something we have to make an effort to do and, if I’m honest, we should do it more. We always say we ought to try and go for dinner once every two weeks, and it happens, but just not that frequently. But we still try and make time for each other within our routine and working week. So, every night at home, we will sit together and watch TV, or have a conversation, just us, no distractions. We always try to get to Cyprus in the summer, too. Obviously, it’s where Pete’s family’s from and I love the kids going back there.It’s their heritage.
Do the two of you ever ask for one another’s opinions on the projects you’re working on?
Loads! It really helps, because our work fields are so different, so we both come at it from a completely different perspective. He’ll sometimes play me music and ask my opinion, and then with my books, I’ll be sitting there working, typing, and ask, ‘Can I read you this sentence or this paragraph? Does this make sense to you?’
Your latest project is your first picture book – what can you tell us about it?
It’s important to me that kids are able to talk about their body and not feel embarrassed about bodily functions – which we still get embarrassed about as adults! It’s only a good thing that the more comfortable they are talking about their body as children, the more comfortable they will be as they grow up. Then they’ll be able to notice if things aren’t quite right and be able to talk about it.
Incredible Things Your Body Can Do! by Dr Emily MacDonagh, illustrated by Jennie Bradley, is out 14 August 2025 (Scholastic)