Sophie Turner Opens Up About Feeling Mother Guilt While Working

Sophie Turner He was honest about the guilt he felt of balancing work and being there to fight for his daughters.

“Mother guilt is there forever,” said the 29-year-old actress in an interview with Net-a-Porter’s. Porter published on Monday, January 5. “I work during the week and on the weekends I spend the whole day with my children.”

Turner, who shares daughters Willa, 5, and Delphine, 3, with ex-husband Joe Jonasshe added that she experiences the same gut-wrenching feeling when she goes out with friends.

“But if I go to have lunch with my friend, I will run back home because my heart sinks because I left them,” she said.

That feeling also translates into her dating life, as she is currently focusing on work and motherhood.

“I mean, it’s been weeks, months since I’ve seen my friends or gone on a date!” he agreed. “Sometimes I just give up parts of my life. I only have the energy to work with my family right now.”

Turner noted that she is “working” to make time for her friendships and love life. (The Game of Thrones alum was recently linked to the Coldplay singer Chris Martin.)

“I’ll get there,” he said.

Turner explained that although she feels guilty about working so much, she also wants to be a positive influence on her children.

“In order to be a good example for them, I must have my love,” he said. “I like to see me go out to work every day and work hard.”

Turner thanked her daughters for rekindling her love of acting because of the work she does at home.

“They love to do theater. I also got to experience the joy and nature of it as a child, which is wonderful,” he recalled. “[Although] they still want to play Disney princesses, when the prince comes and kisses them on the cheek. And I say, ‘No, you can save the prince!'”

In addition to teaching her daughters to think critically, Turner has given them the tools to express their emotions in a healthy way – which has helped her.

“When you have these overwhelming emotions, how do you get them out? That’s something I’ve never been able to figure out for myself. So, I teach my kids and we try different things,” she told the outlet. Then it’s like they teach me to control myself or process emotions.”

Turner has experienced his fair share of ups and downs in recent years. In September 2023, Turner and Jonas, 36, separated after four years of marriage. The pair face off in a custody battle for their daughters before finalizing their divorce in September 2024.

“Being depressed, I know I can deal with it. That’s the great thing about having a tough twenties: I’ve learned that I can survive a lot,” Turner reflected on Monday. “I’m like pressure, there’s pressure, but I’ve been through the worst. I have to remind myself that we’re flexible and we can deal with more than we think.”

As Turner focuses on what’s next, the most important thing for him is to be “at peace.”

“I feel like it’s been busy for a long time and I’m ready not to have that anymore, relax a little,” she said. “We’ll see if that happens.”