Pop star Lily Allen has opened up about an extravagant spending spree, revealing she purchased a £120,000 Porsche and a £16,500 Hermès handbag while celebrating the success of her latest album. The 40-year-old singer confessed she has been 'shopping like an insane person', acting under the conviction she was a billionaire, a behaviour that has now led her to seek specialised therapy.
A Lavish Celebration and a Cry for Help
During a Christmas special of her 'Miss Me?' podcast with best friend and co-host Miquita Oliver, Allen detailed her recent lavish purchases. Alongside the high-performance car and designer bag, she also treated herself to a 'huge diamond and emerald ring'. "I'm just playing with my huge diamond and emerald ring, I bought myself a little present but it's not that little," she explained. "You've got to treat yourself and mark the moment. I'm convinced I'm a billionaire. Handbags have been bought, jewels and a car has been bought."
However, the singer acknowledged this behaviour is problematic. She has now been undergoing Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for the last four months to address her spending habits. "I start doing EMDR therapy four months ago and its been life changing," Allen stated. She described the process, which involves stimulating the brain to create new pathways, helping to dissociate positive feelings from negative behaviours like compulsive spending.
The Devastating Backdrop of Divorce
This period of extreme spending follows an intensely difficult year for Allen, marked by her divorce from 'Stranger Things' actor David Harbour at the end of 2024. She has described the split as 'f***ing excruciatingly painful' and 'devastating', revealing it caused insomnia, weight loss, and cost her a 'huge amount of money'. In the painful aftermath, she spent two weeks in a trauma centre in Nashville.
In a candid revelation, Allen explained that her decision to get a boob job shortly after leaving the centre was driven by body image fears following her weight loss. "Because I've always been really small up top, I was worried about becoming really bottom-heavy," she told The Observer. "I felt like if I got boobs, it would make me feel better about gaining weight." The surgery took place just days after her trauma centre stay.
Channeling Pain into Art and Moving Forward
Her new album, 'West End Girl', serves as a raw chronicle of her recovery from the breakup and alludes to multiple infidelities. Its blistering track 'Madeline' is directed at the woman Allen believes Harbour was involved with, later revealed by the Mail on Sunday to be costume designer Natalie Tippett. The album's critical and commercial success has led to an arena tour scheduled for 2026.
Since the split, Allen has moved back to London, fulfilling a lifelong dream by purchasing an ex-council flat in the area where she grew up. As she continues her EMDR therapy, the singer is navigating a new chapter, using both professional help and her music to process the twin challenges of heartbreak and the compulsive behaviours it exacerbated.
