EXCLUSIVE: Sophie Ellis-Bextor admits she doesn’t suffer from “mom guilt” – after revealing her 19-year-old son has moved in with her mother

Sophie Ellis-Bextor has revealed she doesn’t suffer from “mother guilt” despite her job not always allowing her to be there for her five children.

The 44-year-old singer told MailOnline that after years of tireless hard work for her music career, she has finally given herself permission to enjoy it rather than worry about the time she has been away from her family.

Now Sophie hopes her children, two of whom are teenagers, will be inspired by her drive because she says she is actually a better mother as a working mother.

Earlier this month, the pop star announced that her 19-year-old son had moved out of the family home to live with her mother Janet Ellis, 68, describing the new arrangement as “healthy.”

As Sophie reflects on how she became pregnant with Sonny just six weeks after she started dating musician husband Richard Jones, 44, she says their life together has always been a threesome.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor has revealed she doesn’t suffer from “mother guilt” despite her job not always allowing her to be there for her five children

The singer told MailOnline that after years of tireless hard work on her music career, she has finally given herself permission to enjoy it

Sophie hopes her children, two of whom are teenagers, will be inspired by her drive because she says she is actually a better mother as a working mother

As Sophie reflects on how she became pregnant with Sonny just six weeks after she started dating musician husband Richard Jones, she says their life together has always been a threesome

But after expanding their family and the couple, who have been married for 18 years, had five sons together, Sophie revealed they were happy watching them grow up and a sixth son was out of the question.

Sophie said: “Like any working parent, it’s something of an ongoing thing. I don’t think it’s ever been quite nailed down. Luckily for me, I love family life, I love my job and I have really good support there. I need it for both things.

“But the hardest part of my job is when I have to be away from them for long periods of time… The big picture is that I really love what I do and I’ve worked pretty hard to do what I do, I could do that too.” Don’t waste it on guilt.

“Even at 44 years old, I still allow myself to do what I love because while it means I can’t be there for my kids everywhere at certain times, I’m a better mother when I do do what I do.”, and I involve my children quite a bit.

“The older they get, the more I appreciate that they will probably learn a thing or two about work ethic from watching me do what I love. It’s also a creative house that’s a lot of fun.”

Sophie met her husband, a bassist who played with The Feeling, in 2002, and six weeks later she found out she was pregnant with their first son, Sonny.

The couple have since become parents to Kit, 14, Ray, ten, Jesse, eight, and their youngest, Mickey, four, and Sophie says her family is finally complete as she looks back on their “happy ending”. ‘

She said: “My situation was a bit unusual because I was the first in my friendship group to have a baby… I was 24 when I found out I was having my first.”

As well as being mum to Sonny, Sophie also shares Kit, Ray, Jesse and Mickey with her husband of 18 years, Richard

Sophie found out she was expecting her first child just six weeks after she started dating Richard as she recalled their “happily ever after.”

The singer and bassist have decided that “five is enough” and that they will not have any more children. Sophie says they are “content” watching them grow up

“It was an incredible adventure and since Richard and I were three, we had only been dating for six weeks when we found out we were having a baby… it was a bit of a surprise but thankfully a happy ending too.

“We’re just watching them grow up now… I don’t think about that. ‘I feel very lucky, I love my family, I love my children and five is enough!’

During a recent appearance on This Morning, Sophie revealed that Sonny had moved in with her mother Janet, who lives 10 minutes away.

Sophie says she enjoys being a mother to two teenagers and admits her mother was always approachable growing up and she hopes it stays that way.

She said: “I have a few teenagers now… my eldest will be 20 next year.”

“I really like it, I enjoyed all the phases. The only thing I can tell people with teenagers is that they may not think they need you that much, but they definitely do.”

“It’s about finding a way to be present in what they’re doing without feeling cornered or challenged about anything.”

“My mother has always been very good to me, she has kept communication open, and I think that is really the most important thing.”

Sophie announced earlier this month that the couple’s eldest child, Sonny, had moved out of the family home to live ten minutes away with Sophie’s mother (pictured in November).

Sophie teamed up with McCain on the latest campaign to launch the brand’s new Baby Hasselback potatoes, posing with food in hand on a glittery disco ball

Sophie says McCain’s newborn Hasselback potatoes are a hit in their household, including with husband Richard, whose father is a professional chef

As a mother of five children, routine is essential, says the podcaster, especially at dinner, when the family sits down to eat together at 5:30 p.m. every day.

And she says McCain’s newborn Hasselback potatoes are a hit in her household, including with husband Richard, whose father is a professional chef.

Sophie teamed up with McCain on the latest campaign to launch new potatoes, posing on a glittery disco ball with food in hand.

The brand also conducted a study that says three in five people (60 percent) eat the exact same dinner up to four times a week, while half of the nation (50 percent) say they lack meal inspiration the week is missing.

Sophie, who released the cookbook Recipes from the Kitchen Disco last year, says her family’s love of food and commitment to eating together means they often need “a key ingredient” to build their dinner.

She said: “We as a family are already big fans of McCain. As soon as they came my way, I checked my freezer and honestly, every piece of frozen potato had her name written on it, and funnily enough, I wanted to do this campaign because my brother introduced me to Hasselback potatoes not too long ago and they are really delicious .

“We’re a diverse bunch in our house, we released a cookbook last year and anyone who knows us knows we love food. Richard is a really good cook, he’s actually the son of a chef and I love cooking too.”

“But we are a busy household and sometimes you get stuck not thinking, what tonight? Sometimes you just need one thing as the main ingredient to build your meal around.”

• McCain Hasselback Potatoes are whole, skin-on baby potatoes that are pre-cut for a feel-good wow factor and then slow-baked for flavor and crunch. They’re the perfect solution for anyone who struggles with the monotony of boring weeknight meals. Available now from Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose, Iceland and Co Op, RRP £3.69