Lottie Tomlinson reveals having children helped her to grieve her late mother and sister as she reflects on family’s tragedies: ‘Becoming a mum healed me’

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Lottie Tomlinson has revealed having children helped her to grieve her late mother and sister.

The 27-year-old mother of two lost her mother, Johannah Deakin, to leukemia in 2016 when she was just 18 years old.

Sadly, just three years after her first loss, she also lost her younger sister, Félicité, to an accidental overdose.

Now a mom to two little ones – two-year-old Lucky and ten-month-old Flossie Grace – Lottie says that becoming a parent has helped her cope with the sadness she felt after losing her own mother.

Lottie shared with Daily Mail that the most fulfilling part of being a mother is simply being everything to her children.

It feels good to be the person my children turn to for comfort. As a mother, it’s really fulfilling, and it’s actually helped me cope with the grief I felt after losing my own mother, now that I understand what it means to be a parent myself.

In January this year, Lottie announced the birth of her second child with fiancé Lewis Burton.

Lottie shared a sweet black-and-white photo of her son, Lucky, looking at his newborn sister in her crib. She announced to her Instagram followers that their ‘little angel’ had arrived and is perfect.

Even though Lottie is a devoted and caring mother, she confessed to occasionally experiencing ‘mom guilt’ – that feeling of worrying you’re not doing enough.

You know, when I was talking to a mom the other day about the hardest parts of being a parent, she really hit the nail on the head. She said it wasn’t the sleepless nights or even the tantrums, but the guilt – that constant ‘mom guilt’ – and just always worrying about doing what’s best for your kids. It really resonated with me because I feel that all the time.

I’d heard about ‘mom guilt’ before, but you don’t truly get it until you become a mother yourself.

You clearly want what’s best for your children, and that’s a natural feeling. It can be challenging to handle everything, though.

Like any parent, I constantly worry about my children – I just want them to be safe, happy, and healthy, always.

Lottie’s own life experiences, including the loss of Liam Payne, a bandmate of her brother Louis Tomlinson, have influenced how she discusses death with her son.

She said: ‘I’m definitely more straight talking with him about death and loss,’

She explained that he noticed photos of her mother and sister around the house and would ask about them.

I explained to him that was his nanny, but she wasn’t here anymore because she had died and gone to heaven. I told him we could still remember her and keep her in our hearts.

After experiencing the heartbreaking loss of two family members, Lottie talked about what she’s learned through grief and how her perspective on loss has evolved.

She explained that experiencing two losses has really changed how she views life.

Going through those difficult times actually helped me appreciate life more. It made me realize how quickly life passes and how crucial it is to cherish time with family and friends and focus on finding happiness.

Experiencing grief has really changed my outlook on things and given me a lot of perspective.

Lottie also stressed how important it is to talk about grief and the loss of loved ones.

When she was asked what helped her cope with her initial grief, she explained that simply talking about her loss was incredibly beneficial.

Looking back, I realize I really kept everything inside the first time around. It just hurt too much to even try and talk about what happened, and honestly, I didn’t know how to express myself properly back then. I just didn’t have the right tools or understanding to process it all and talk about it in a healthy way.

I didn’t have any professional guidance or support during that time. Because of that, it was a really difficult experience, and it took a long time and a lot of effort to recover and feel okay again.

The second time I went through it, I was able to get help and therapy, which made things a little easier to handle.

This really could be a matter of life or death for some, so it’s vital that we have these conversations.

Lottie explained that her grief comes in waves, especially around important dates or events. When those times happen, her family rallies around her and offers support.

She admitted that this time of year is always hard for her, mainly because December marks the anniversary of her mother’s passing.

For me personally, Mother’s Day and the anniversaries of my parents’ deaths are really tough. Those dates always resurface a lot of sadness and memories.

We make an effort to gather on those days and focus on finding some joy, instead of letting sadness take over.

It’s definitely going to be a sad time, and I’m feeling that already. But I think what we all need to do is focus on the good memories and try to support each other through it. Remembering the happy times will hopefully make things a little bit easier for everyone involved.

Lottie is channeling her personal loss into positive change by supporting Legacy Hub. This platform allows families to document their final wishes, get their affairs in order, and leave meaningful messages for those they care about.

It’s really important to plan for the future and let your loved ones know your wishes. An app like Legacy Hub provides a simple and secure way to store this information, ensuring your family understands what you want.

As someone who deeply understands the importance of handling loss with care, I truly believe getting things right after a death can make all the difference. It’s not just about the practicalities; it’s about giving my family the space and support they need to grieve in a healthy way. If things aren’t handled well, it can make an already incredibly difficult time so much harder, and that’s something I want to avoid at all costs.

Lottie also treasures the keepsakes that connect her to her loved ones.

She explained that she’s saved lots of small, meaningful things from her mother and sister, like cards, handwritten notes, and pictures.

I still have the cards my mom gave me for prom – they’re really precious to me. The messages inside are so meaningful, especially now that she’s gone. Losing someone means losing their voice and their words, so being able to reread her cards makes me feel close to her again.

Lottie explained that when someone is gone, you also lose the things they said. But having something to remember them by – like a message, card, or note – helps you feel connected. That’s why she believes it’s so important to keep and cherish those little reminders.

Lottie explained her business and goals, stating that she believes it’s a great way to prevent problems from happening in the first place.

After she passed away without a will, it was hard for us to make sure her wishes were honored, since we only knew what she’d told us verbally.

She explained how the business began, saying they’d been planning it for some time. She also credited her incredible business partner and team for their support.

I’m thrilled to finally release this and share its message with everyone. Work like this is incredibly rewarding for me, and I find it deeply fulfilling.

I’m really passionate about fashion and beauty, and I find my work incredibly rewarding. It’s important to me to do things that feel meaningful, like my involvement with Sue Ryder, and I’m excited that they’ll also be collaborating with my business.

Money raised through subscriptions will be donated to this organization and other charities.

She said it feels good to contribute to a solution for a problem that nobody should ever face.

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2025-11-16 18:22