HELENA BONHAM CARTER with her lovely family

A sad week for fans of quirky British actresses, but a happy one for two young children, as Les Miserables star Helena Bonham Carter announces that she’ll be taking a break from acting for a while. Both she and boyfriend Tim Burton have decided to step out of the spotlight for now to focus on their young children, Billy and Nell.
And no wonder – Helena has shot 11 films since 2010, two with Burton, which is a lot to balance on its own, without throwing motherhood into the mix.

Carter finally decided that she needed to narrow her focus, stating “Juggling motherhood with acting is hard and I’m dropping all the balls at the same time…You always feel like you’re doing everything badly.”
While that worry of disappointing people and missing out on things is something most working moms can relate to, it’s always nice to see people in the public eye admit that it’s not particularly easy for them either, even with help. It’s also really refreshing to see that it’s not just the mom in this family stepping back from her career, but that they’re in a place where Burton can put his projects on hold as well, so the whole family can be together.
While I’ll miss seeing Helena gracing my movie screens for a while, she has completed two projects coming out this year, including The Lone Ranger. In the meantime I hope she enjoys creating brilliant memories with her children, and we can always pop in my Harry Potter dvds, smiling at the idea of Bellatrix Lestrange packing school lunches and playing in the park.