Adele Silva is known to our screens from THE BILL, EASTENDERS, HOLLYOAKS, CELEBRITY FEAR FACTOR and HELL’S KITCHEN along with many more TV and film credits to her name. She is also very well known for playing the infamous Kelly Windsor on EMMERDALE. Adele recently give birth to her daughter in 2015 and is very much enjoying life as a doting mother and actress.
Working Mum Interview With Adele Silva
What is the best piece of business advice you have been given? Don’t let your business & personal life blur into one. I always leave my work at work & when I leave I leave. Sometimes it can be hard to separate the two but for yourself and the people close to you it can only benefit you all.
If you had the power to change one thing in the business market for working mothers, what would you change?
Equal pay & more flexible hours.
How do you achieve your work life balance of career woman and mother?
I have an amazing support network, my Partner works for himself so there’s been a lot of working from home on his part. Also, my Mum is a great help. Without them I wouldn’t be able to do it. Lime Pictures where Hollyoaks is filmed has a crèche on site which is an amazing asset but so far I’ve not had to use it. For me personally, I’m very organised and it’s all about lists. I can’t think straight without writing things down, even instructions. I just ask people to humour me but it works for me.
What were/are the biggest challenges you faced going back in to the workplace after children?
I can honestly say nothing was a major challenge, the biggest thing I had to factor in was learning lines. It’s not a normal job where you can go home and switch off, at home I have to prep and lines to learn but of course that’s not so easy with a baby. I have a good routine going so my method is when she’s in bed to have a learning session and I always have plenty of time to say them aloud on my commute from Leeds to Liverpool where Hollyoaks is filmed. The challenge for me was to get my head around going back to work a lot sooner than I had anticipated. My Agent called me when Sienna was 3 weeks old and I was to start 4 weeks later. I was initially going to say no but after speaking to my Partner Olly and Mum they both persuaded me otherwise. I was worried about missing out but my Mum said ” she won’t even realise at 7 weeks, she poops, sleeps and has a bottle” The first day of course was the worst but now I’m pleased I went ahead and accepted. If it was left to me, I’m not sure if I’d be back at work now with Sienna being 6 months.
If you could give your past self one piece of advice about being a working mother what would it be?
Stop, deliberate and think through the options. As I said before I love lists, so pros and cons . My past self would make a snap decision without having a good old think.
Have your career goals and aspirations altered since becoming a working mother from that prior to your children?
I’ve always been extremely ambitious and bizarrely everything seems more within reach now. If anything, it’s given me a fire in my belly – I have someone’s life in my hands and want to provide the best for them any which way I can.
What are your future goals in your career path in the next few years, what do you hope to achieve?
I started acting at 8, my first TV role being in Dr Who so it’s all I know. Im now almost 35 so I’d love to be able to continue. I get to do something different everyday and if I’m having a bad day, I get to pretend to be someone else, it’s great! There’s so many amazing dramas and films out there, I’d love to play lots of different roles. There’s no retirement age for Actors so I’m hoping to be like a Dame Maggie Smith. Getting paid to do what you love isn’t a bad life!
Question asked from Mother before you Angela Griffin Actress – What is the biggest positive about being a working mother to you?
Setting a good example to my daughter and independently providing for her. Not having to rely on anyone else. I’m working for our future.
What question would you wish to ask our next working mother who takes this short interview?
What are your parenting goals?