Gillian Anderson's mum and daughter have a special reading tradition and we’re feeling incredibly inspired by this sweet way of bonding.
Making time to spend with your loved ones isn’t always easy when life gets busy, but we all feel the benefits when we do and having special traditions is a great way to help with this. Reading is at the heart of Gillian Anderson’s family and the Sex Education star has recently revealed that her 30-year-old daughter Piper and mother Rosemary have maintained a reading tradition for so many years. The Hollywood icon recently appeared on Bustle’s One Nightstand video series to discuss her four favourite books and according to her, Rosemary is "amazing" at reading to her grandchildren and has always been the one they "go to".
"My mum was actually really good at reading children’s books and has always been… you go to Grandma to read books to the kids… cause she does boys more than I do, she’s amazing," Gillian shared. "She properly does voices and completely gets into the story."
Rosemary’s approach clearly made quite an impression upon Piper, who went on to establish a weekly tradition of FaceTime calls so they could still enjoy this time together.
"My daughter asked her if she would continue to read to her in her, like, mid-20s," Anderson added. "And so once a week, they go on FaceTime Audio and while my daughter - she’s an artist - while she’s making art my mum reads to her… they’ve gone through so many, multiple editions of books and stuff."
It’s possible that Piper isn’t the only one of Gillian’s children (she’s also mum to Oscar and Felix) who enjoys being read to by Rosemary. Either way, it’s an inspiring activity for them to enjoy each week and a lovely way for grandmother and granddaughter to add to their already close bond. Gillian, who recently inspired our winter style with her pink cherry jumper, reflected that she "never experienced" the reading epiphany that Piper did.
"I only allow myself to read when I’m on holiday and that’s something I don’t like. But one thing that happened a few years ago which I never experienced, when my daughter who’s just turned 30 and she suddenly had this epiphany that the world of books was her oyster and I realised that I never had that," she said. "I’ve still been slightly waiting for that moment, and I keep thinking it’s when I’m in the old people’s home, is when I’m going to make sure that I give myself that moment."
Gillian Anderson has shared some incredibly candid insights into her family and life as a mother over the years and in 2023 she revealed that she would likely still be living the "two versions" of herself for a little while yet.
Opening up to AnOther magazine at the time, Gillian explained, "I don’t want to direct until my kids are out of high school, because I’ll be so all-consumed with it. It’s a huge responsibility. I’m not sure I have it in me to direct and be a parent. Maybe I’ll wait until I’m in my sixties before I direct again."
"In 2024, I’ll still be living the two versions of me. The version that is the actress, and the version that is the mum. I don’t think that’ll change," she added.
Meanwhile, back in March 2024 she told Grazia about how she went back to work on X-Files 10 days after welcoming Piper by C-section in 1994 and that after having her second child she didn’t work for "over a year".
"It took over a year before I felt like I was ‘in’ my body," she said, adding that now as she co-parents with her sons’ father, she does "every other week - the cooking and the picking up from school and all of that. But when they were younger I. Had. Help."
"I had help and I still struggled. Women. Are. Amazing," she declared.
