Millie Mackintosh has revealed she sought professional help to manage her daughter Aurelia's severe separation anxiety as she navigates her divorce from Hugo Taylor. The 36-year-old former Made in Chelsea star opened up about the challenges at home, admitting she waited until she was through the worst before speaking publicly.
Millie and Hugo, who married in 2018, announced their separation in February. They share two daughters: Sienna, six, and Aurelia, four. The trouble began after Aurelia's nursery closed last Christmas, leaving her at home for half a term. When Millie found a new nursery, Aurelia refused to go, leading to intense tantrums.
“There were a lot of tantrums, crying, kicking, screaming and just refusing to go to nursery,” Millie said in a candid social media video. “She'd be crying, I'd be crying. She would just literally unstrap herself from the buggy and run down the road. It was really scary.”
The situation escalated to the point where Millie stopped sending Aurelia to nursery for a week. She then consulted a child specialist, who advised her to get Aurelia back to nursery using specific calming phrases. “I was told only a couple of phrases to say to her… ‘You're safe. I love you. You're going to nursery, and you can do this.’ I would just repeat those phrases, but I wouldn't say anything else,” Millie explained.
The method was gruelling but effective. After four days of carrying a kicking and screaming Aurelia to nursery, the five-year-old woke up on the fifth day wanting to go. “It was the biggest relief,” Millie said.
