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Louise Thomas
Editor
Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver have addressed why they used to harbour feelings of jealousy towards one another in the early years of their friendship.
Pop singer and actor Allen, 39, and TV presenter Oliver, 40, have been friends since they were infants, growing up around one another’s families in London.
On their hit podcast, Miss Me? the duo explore a number of topics including dating apps, stalking, virginity and the patriarchy.
In a new episode released on Monday 7 October, a listener called in to ask how they managed to overcome issues of jealousy that had previously affected their relationship.
“I will just start with, I will always be jealous of Miquita’s legs, that’s not going anywhere,” Allen joked, before continuing: “To be quite frank, I’ve always been jealous of Miquita. You always had this sort of energy around you and your family that I was very jealous of...
“It all seemed very vibrant and full, and it was something that I didn’t have in my home when I was a kid, and so I always felt left out and a little bit [jealous].”
Oliver pointed out the irony as she admitted she had coveted Allen’s life: “All I wanted was your house and your mum and to have siblings and to live in Islington.
“I think it gave us this slightly competitive edge in our friendship,” she suggested.
Allen doubled down on her earlier remark by saying that she had always been jealous of Oliver’s looks, along with the fact that she was a year older and therefore “a step ahead in the culture stakes”.
“You were my introduction to a lot of things... there was definitely some envy there,” she said.
Oliver suggested that each of them “got what we needed “ from the other’s life, recalling how Allen would often stay over at her house instead of her family’s home.
They had overcome that jealousy, she said, in part by seeing each other go through “real pain and hardship”.
“I was inspired by the way you’ve built your life,” she said. “I just love you too much to be jealous.”
She caveated this by suggesting that the competitive element of their friendship was a positive thing that had driven each of them to success in their careers.
“I definitely think when you were on Popworld that drove me to want to go and be a pop star, for sure,” Allen said.
Oliver began hosting the Channel 4 music show, Popworld, with Simon Amstell when she was 16 years old. The duo fronted the programme between 2001 to 2006.
Allen shot to fame after releasing her debut single, “Smile”, which topped the charts and preceded her first album, Alright, Still. She has since released a further three albums, the most recent being 2018’s No Shame, along with a memoir, My Thoughts Exactly.
In the same podcast episode, Allen and Oliver explored the topic of jealousy in relation to their careers and relationships. It is available to listen to now on BBC Sounds and all major streaming services.
