Lily Allen has never been one to shy away from honesty – or a headline-grabbing look – and her latest cover shoot delivers both in spades.
The 40-year-old singer shared behind-the-scenes images from the glossy spread for Elle on Instagram this week, including a daring topless snap in which she nonchalantly takes a bite from a bright red apple.
In another striking image, Lily sits confidently behind a table wearing nothing but nude knickers, glancing seductively over her shoulder at the camera. Elsewhere, she reclines on crisp white satin sheets in a racy red lace bodysuit, her pose equal parts Old Hollywood glamour and modern defiance. But while the imagery is bold, the conversation behind it is even more revealing.
In her accompanying interview, Lily opened up about what she described as the "trauma" of her marriage breakdown from Stranger Things actor David Harbour. The pair, who wed in a whirlwind Las Vegas ceremony in 2020, split after four years together.
Reflecting on writing her new music during that period, Lily admitted: "I was processing things that were happening at quite a traumatic period of time."
The result was West End Girl, a surprise 14-track release described as a "brutal, tell-all masterpiece," marking her return to music after an eight-year hiatus. The album pulls few punches, with Lily candid about the anger that fuelled it.
"I don't think that it’s a particularly self-aware record," she said. "It's a really angry record – and it's a lot more about rage directed towards other people. It’s not really about self-reflection."
Fans were quick to interpret the lyrics as a pointed response to allegations of infidelity that surfaced during the end of her marriage.
Earlier this week, Lily praised the support she received from fellow school mums during what she called the "traumatic" collapse of her relationship, describing their solidarity as invaluable during one of the most difficult periods of her life.
It was recently revealed by Mail on Sunday that Lily is preparing to release another previously written album, said to contain songs aimed at "shaming" music industry figures she claims bullied and mistreated her earlier in her career. If West End Girl was cathartic, this next chapter promises to be equally unfiltered.