Louise Redknapp was "made to feel" that her pop career was over after she had her first child.
The 50-year-old singer shot to stardom in the 90s, as a member of the girl group Eternal - but Louise was warned that motherhood might spell the end of her solo career in 2004.
The 'Naked' hitmaker - who has Charley, 20, and Beau, 16, with ex-husband Jamie Redknapp - told The Independent: "I was made to feel that it was over.
"I thought nobody would see me as this sort of pop goddess any more, that I’d never get the opportunity to make music again.
"I was desperate to be a mum, and I loved being a mum, but at that stage, I did think I’d never get back to my career. There’d never be a route for me."
Despite this, Louise has continued to make music and she's adamant that she won't become a "nostalgia act".
The singer - who is releasing her new album, 'Confessions', in May - shared: "I was really adamant about making a progressive album. I don’t want to be a nostalgia act, and I wouldn’t carry on making music and gigging if that’s all I was doing."
Louise quit Eternal in 1995, after the group enjoyed a run of success. But at the time, Louise wasn't feeling happy and she thinks it took a lot of strength to walk away from the group.
The pop singer - who was married to former soccer star Jamie between 1998 and 2018 - explained: "It felt weak to leave but actually, looking back, it was strong - I knew I was really sad.
"I was in my early 20s, and you shouldn’t be sad at that stage in your life."
