It is more than a quarter of a century since Myleene Klass first found fame with the pop band Hear’Say, formed on the reality TV show Popstars. Since then, the Norfolk-born star has worn many hats, from classical musician and model to presenter, DJ and campaigner.
Myleene, 48, who hosts radio shows on Classic FM and Smooth FM, successfully campaigned to reform the UK’s miscarriage care system after suffering four miscarriages herself and last year was made an MBE by the King for her services to women's health.
Now she is channelling her focus into a new cause that affects parents and carers throughout the country: championing supportive online communities for parents whose children have flown the nest.
Myleene has two daughters, Ava, 19, and Hero, 15, with her ex-husband, bodyguard Graham Quinn, and one son, Apollo, seven, with her fiancé, the publicist Simon Motson. Simon also has two children from a previous relationship.
Myleene's semi-empty nest
Ava has just started her second year at university, and for Myleene this has been a tricky adjustment.
"Every time I walk past [Ava's] bedroom, there's no hairdryer blaring, no music blaring, it's a reset, it's a new gear," says Myleene. "You want them to go and prosper and flourish, but at the same time, you think: 'I miss you.' It's a complex amount of feelings."
© Getty Images for The Walt DisneyShe recalls feeling “really lonely, but also really proud” when Ava started university last year.
“It was the most bittersweet experience,” she says, “because I've been a single mum for a very long time to my girls. But at the same time, it was the dream to get them to a point where they could be independent.
“You walk out of the hospital with your baby carrier, and you never let go of them until the moment you walk out of [student] halls. It really, really struck me.
"When you have a baby, you have the option of an NCT group," she elaborates. "When you have a little one go to school, you've got the mums' WhatsApp group, you've got the school gates, and then you have an 18- to 19-year-old who flies a nest for whatever reason… uni, work experience, travel. Where's the village? Where's the community?"
Building a new community
When Ava left home, Myleene shared a video of herself having "a right old sob in the car" and it went viral "because there were so many other mums who were really feeling the same way that I was feeling," she says. "That's where I thought: hang on, the community's here, it's online."
She's now supporting Costa Coffee's New Grounds campaign, which explores how families can stay connected when their children fly the nest, and she's hosting a live Q&A event with Ava in London this month to discuss adjusting to the life change.
© Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty ImagesMyleene says of her bond with Ava: “The relationship's changed. Costa Coffee surveyed parents and 84% said their child leads the way with communication. I thought that's probably true, because Ava will instigate certain conversations at, say, 3am, when she's coming back from the club to tell me all the teenage tea – and, oh my god, teenage gossip is top tier!”
Myleene's second act
At 48, Myleene is feeling confident in midlife. "There's a liberating feeling of not remotely paying any attention to anything that anyone else says," she smiles. "I want to set that example to my kids, that nothing is out of reach – I just go for it."
© Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty IMyleene’s focus now is on her work as a mentor and teacher within education and music, as well as advocating for empty-nest communities. Once again, the multi-talented mum is giving her children a reason to be proud.
Myleene Klass has partnered with Costa Coffee on New Grounds, a campaign celebrating the small moments that help families stay connected through life's biggest transitions
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