Emma Grede, the Dragons' Den star and businesswoman, has clarified her controversial comments about being a 'max three-hour mum' after facing widespread backlash.
The mother-of-four, who runs businesses with the Kardashian family, made the remarks in an interview with The Wall Street Journal ahead of her new book. She said she spends only a few hours with her children each day on weekends, sparking outrage among parents.
Appearance on This Morning
During her appearance on This Morning on Thursday, 30 April, host Ben Shephard asked Emma to explain her comments. She said: 'I completely understand the upset. I wrote this book not for people to read, but for people to use. It was purposeful in provoking conversation.'
Emma explained that her life is a series of trade-offs. 'When I talk about being a three-hour mum, what I mean is I max get an hour in the morning, a couple of hours at night. You shouldn't be made to feel bad about that as a working person.'
Defending Her Honesty
She added: 'What I try to do here is be honest about my reality and the things it's taken, in the hope that people would read that and not feel so burdened by the guilt and expectations of parenting, which I think have gone nuts.'
Emma, who shares four children with her husband Jens, also addressed the backlash on Today with Jenna and Sheinelle earlier this month. She said: 'That headline would never be written about a man. We are held to such an impossible standard both as parents and as businesswomen.'
She emphasised that she is 'just being really, really upfront' about her parenting choices, including teaching her children to be independent. 'When you go to work every day, Monday through Friday, you are spent by the time it gets to the weekend. You don't spend eight hours with them on a Saturday and Sunday.'
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX.
