Gracie is the Most Polite Toddler You’ll Ever Meet, Says Anna Friel

Bobby Rachpoot/Pacific Coast News

After having an ovarian cyst burst, causing actress Anna Friel’s stomach to be filled with blood for three days, doctors broke the news that having a baby after 30 "would be difficult." However one time where Anna and her longtime partner David Thewlis "were not as careful as we should have been" was all it took, and the couple soon learned they were expecting their first child. On July 9, 2005 they welcomed their daughter Gracie Ellen Mary and have been enjoying parenthood since!

Raised in a very loving environment herself, Anna shares that she tries to "emulate that for Gracie" since the 32-year-old knows that it will be all too soon before her daughter will "have to go out into the big, wide world." Her positive, upbeat approach to motherhood involves a lot of "silliness," according to the Pushing Daisies star, who says the family will often "get on the floor and [pretend] we’re monsters." While Anna does not believe in "a lot of seriousness with a child," she admits that both her and David are sticklers for good manners — a lesson that Gracie seems to already have learned!

"She’s the most polite 3-year-old you ever met. She’ll say, ‘Excuse me, is it all right if I please interrupt because I would really like to please ask if I can have a bubble gum.’"

Originally from England, Anna and David are often torn between their life in California and their childhood homes. Although the couple have not made any definite decisions either way, Anna admits that she is "really settled, so now I’m not sure." Anna doesn’t seem to be the only one adapting to the new environment: Gracie is blossoming — and even learning a new language — in her new, private school in Hollywood. "They’ve got a big pool and she does dancing and she’s learned Spanish … and she’s only 3," laughs Anna. Whether the family decides to stay in the United States or travel back to the UK, Anna and David — and even Gracie, who has been asking about a brother or a sister — are looking forward to adding to their family, eventually.

"I really want to be a mother again, but now’s not the right time."

Source: Page Six Magazine