HOT CELEBRITIES: Katherine Heigl says she worried that being a working mother was selfish; Christina Aguilera proudly flaunts her figure in corset and fishnets

10th January 2012

Katherine Heigl has opened up about being a working mother, saying she wondered whether it was 'the most selfish decision of my life.
The former Grey's Anatomy star and singer-songwriter husband Josh Kelley adopted daughter Naleigh in 2009 from Korea.
Six months later she left the show that made her a household name, saying she wanted to spend more time with family.

Family time: Katherine Heigl, who adopted daughter Naleigh with husband Josh Kelley in 2009, says being a working mother was selfish

'I knew, of course, as I prepared to welcome my daughter into my life that it would be a bit of a juggling act but I had no doubt that I could do it,' she wrote in her first blog iVillage.
'After all, it’s 2012 and women have been told that we can have it all if we want it. I went into it full throttle, ready to buckle down and make it all work seamlessly as I always imagined I could.'

 

But the actress said she quickly discovered that she couldn't handle both responsibilities.
'No matter how great my intentions, how lofty my goals, how passionate my commitment, I was failing. I was failing my work, I was failing my daughter, I was failing my husband.

Working mum: The actress was most recently seen in star-studded romantic comedy, New Year's Eve

'I was stressed out and exhausted. I was worried and afraid it was all slipping through my fingers no matter how tight my grip.

'I couldn’t help but wonder ... if the choice I made to be a working mother was the most selfish decision of my life.'
She eventually pulled back from her career to become a stay-at-home mom.
But her daughter has now turned three and the actress sinds herself pining over roles again.
'When the next job came around I jumped like a fish starving for water.
'I asked myself what was wrong with me. How can I want to leave my child to go back to work? How can I miss all those important little moments with her to do nothing more significant then make a movie?

Doctor: Katherine became a household name as Izzy Stephens in Grey's Anatomy, which she quit in 2010 to spend more time with her family

'The simple truth is that I love my daughter passionately and as most mothers do, think she is the smartest, funniest, prettiest child in the whole world -- but she cannot fulfill everything in me.'
She said she now feels as though she has reached the right balance.
'Now when I take a job, I look my daughter in the eye, screw up my courage and try to explain to her that Mommy has to go to work.
'And when she looks back at me and says, 'But why?,' I tell her the truth: that work makes me a better person, a better woman, a better mother.'
The actress most recently starred in romantic comedy New Year's Eve and will next be seen in One For The Money, in which her character plays a bail enforcement officer.
And later this year, she will star in The Big Wedding with Robert De Niro, Susan Sarandon, Diane Keaton, Amanda Seyfried, Robin Williams and Topher Grace.
It centres around a long-divorced couple who pretend to be happily married at their son’s wedding.

Christina Aguilera proudly flaunts her figure in corset and fishnets 

10th January 2012 She's faced cruel ridicule at times over her fluctuating weight, but Christina Aguilera has revealed she's learned to 'block out' criticism about her size.
The 31-year-old singer, who will soon return to U.S. screens as a judge on The Voice, opened up about her body image in a new interview with America's Marie Claire magazine.
'I’ve been through my highs, I’ve been through my lows; I’ve been through the gamut of all things in this business,' she says.
'Being too thin. Being bigger. I’ve been criticized for being on both sides of the scale. It’s noise I block out automatically. I love my body. My boyfriend loves my body. My son is healthy and happy, so that’s all that matters to me.'

Curvy and proud: Christina Aguilera says she's 'very confident' in her own skin

Cover girl: The star appears on the February issue of America's Marie Claire magazine
'I have certain physical features that I favour over others,' she continues. 'We all have our areas.'

The star, whose son Max turns four on January 12, is now able to accept her form, preferring to be being curvy rather than bony.
'When I worked on Burlesque, I lost so much weight that I was too skinny.'
She avoids the scales, instead relying on the fit of her outfits.
'I don't weigh myself - it's all about how I feel in my clothes.

She concludes: 'I happen to be very confident in my own skin. It takes time to get to that place, but it's all about embracing yourself and your body.'
Christina also opened up about the disappointment, embarrassment and heartache that plagued her during 2010.
It proved a particularly difficult year for the star - she filed for divorce from music executive Jordan Bratman, her husband of five years; her album Bionic and film Burlesque both bombed and she forgot the lycisc to the national anthem at the Super Bowl.
She was also arrested for public intoxication after  anight out with her boyfriend Matt Rutler.
'That was a rough year,' she tells the publication.
'"Between my divorce and the other things I went through, a lot happened. It's hard for anyone to go through that in public. But when you're a celebrity and under a microscope, it's 58 million times harder.
'I grew an even thicker skin after that hard year.'

Marie Claire hits newsstands in the U.S. on Tuesday, January 17.

Womanly shape: Christina's figure has naturally changed considerably from when she emerged onto the music scene as a young teen, seen left performing at the AMA's in November and right in 1999