She revealed in August that she and her husband Marcus Mumford had quietly welcomed their second child into the world.
And Carey Mulligan has revealed that the trials of motherhood have often led to some hilarious mishaps, as well as important lessons in embracing her body, as she juggles raising a two-year-old and newborn with her glamorous acting career.
However, the 32-year-old actress revealed to Harper’s Bazaar that one of those moments came in the way of breast milk leaking over her couture dress when she mingled with a host of chic guests at a fashion event.
Cover girl: Actress Carey Mulligan poses in a breathtaking feathered white gown on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar’s upcoming January issue
But rather than be mortified, the Shame star laughed it off, telling the magazine: ‘Back in the day, I would have been in the bathroom in tears. I would have been trying to leave. But it was just kind of funny. It was so ridiculous.
‘I thought, “If I’ve got breast milk coming out of my dress, then that just shows what it’s like to be a working mother in the 21st century. Whatever.”‘
The London-born beauty, whose movie Mudbound was recently released on Netflix, also admitted that becoming a parent has altered the way she feels about her body.
The trials of motherhood: The mother-of-two revealed that breast milk once leaked on her gown as she mingled with a host of chic guests at a fashion event
She explained: ‘I think all that stuff has got easier. Your body has a totally different function. I’ve always been funny about my legs and I won’t wear anything above the knee. I hate my thighs.’
However, when a friend of hers gave birth to a baby a few years ago and she got the opportunity to hold the child, she had a sudden appreciation for her curves.
Carey said of the experience: ‘She was sitting in my lap and I thought, “If my legs were really bony and skinny, that would be really uncomfortable and actually it’s quite nice for this baby to have a comfortable place to sit.”’
Happily married: The 32-year-old screen star has been married to Marcus Mumford since 2014
The star also become decidedly more relaxed about staying glamorous at all times, given the newfound challenges of raising two young offspring.
She told the publication: ‘It doesn’t matter if your dress looks bad or if you can see the outline of your Spanx… it’s just such small potatoes, you know?’
Coming soon: Read the full interview in the January issue of Harper’s Bazaar
However, while there has been much to celebrate in becoming a parent, Carey – who married Mumford & Sons frontman Marcus in 2014 – admitted that she’s now developed a fear of her own mortality.
“[I’ll] have a huge mortality crisis and get terribly upset that one day [I’ll have to] leave my children behind,’ she explained.
‘That has crippled me a couple of times since I’ve had kids: the notion that one day they’ll have to be without me.’
The actress and activist, who was named Harper’s Bazaar Philanthropist of the Year, wows on the cover of the glossy magazine, cutting a chic figure in a white feathered off-the-shoulder gown.
With her golden locks styled in a wavy bob, she adds an extra touch of pizzazz to her fun and whimsical ensemble with a pair of glittering drop earrings.
Read the full interview in the January issue of Harper’s Bazaar, on sale 1 December, 2017. For more exclusive content visit: www.harpersbazaar.co.uk
Honours: On Monday, Carey and her Mudbound co-star Mary J Blige celebrated as their film scooped honours at the 27th annual Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York City