Woman's Day
(New Zealand Edition)
10 August 1998
Lucy has a small pic on the cover with the heading Shock! Lucy trades fame for family
On the Contents Page another pic of Lucy with the quote "There is life after
teenage motherhood" and the caption - Oh Baby! Lucy's big plan - Xena star puts
family first.
Page 8 - 9 big picture of Lucy - that one from the voting competition with Jeri Ryan -
looks like a spoof of Rosalind Russell in the barn? Another small picture of Lucy - looks
like a nighty to me. Small picture of Daisy - taken on board a boat possibly.
Title: OH BABY! Lucy's big plan
Story by: Kelly Rhodes Text:
Fame and fortune aren't the main things in life for the Kiwi warrior woman - she has
decided it's time to deliver!
Luscious Xena: Warrior Princess star Lucy Lawless has revealed her plans to trade in
fame for a family. The Kiwi actress, who has a 10-year-old daughter Daisy, says she is
looking forward to motherhood second time around, following her March marriage to Xena and
Hercules producer Rob Tapert, 43.
In her first exclusive interview since her fairytale Californian wedding, the
statuesque beauty says she is fending off lucrative Hollywood offers as she has chosen to
put her husband and family before career, and plans to become pregnant before her Xena
contract expires in 2000.
"I have always wanted three children. I don't know why three, but it seems like a
great number to me," says Lucy, 30, who became pregnant to her first husband, Garth
Lawless, when she was 19 years old.
"I'm sure a lot of people thought my life was over at that time. Still a teenager,
there I was living in a tiny flat with a baby. But I didn't care what anyone thought. I
got a wonderful daughter out of it, and proved there is life after teenage
motherhood," says Lucy.
"I know one day I'll look back on my life, and I know I'd kick myself for all the
time I spent away from my family. So for family and health reasons, I'm simply not
prepared to sacrifice everything for a job. You can't put a price on time spent with your
children. That time is irreplaceable and precious."
With nappies and potty-training many years behind her, Lucy confesses she thought long
and hard before committing to having another child. "Well, I've had a few squeamish
moments there," she admits. "When I was first pregnant I didn't really know what
I was doing! But I think the next time around I'll be a lot more relaxed."
"Daisy originally wasn't keen on the prospect of my having another child. She
hated the idea for a long time, but she's decided she' fed up with being an only
child."
Rapidly propelled to international fame following the incredible success of Xena - now
aired in 50 countries - Lucy says it was when she was nearly crippled two years ago after
a fall from a horse on Jay Leno's American TV chat show that she found time to consider
what was most important to her in life.
"Although it was agonising at the time, I've always had a kind of new-age
philosophy that good things come out of bad packages, a belief that everything happens for
a reason. My convalescence allowed me time to put my house back in order. Suddenly I had
time to think; I couldn't do anything in a hurry," says the actress, who fractured
her pelvis in four places when the horse skidded on painted concrete.
"I discovered a lot about myself as I lay there in hospital, and I was able to
spend time with my daughter, who was dealing with the aftermath of divorce. Mummy hadn't
always been able to be there for her, and she was busy rearranging the chips of her
life," says Lucy.
And Lucy has no plans to leave her base in NZ. "Absolutely not in the near future.
I'd hate to do that to Daisy, so it isn't really on the cards for us. Anyway, LA's only a
12-hour flight away - it's not the end of the earth. The fact is that Daisy is a Kiwi kid
and needs to remain so for another few years at least. I wouldn't contemplate leaving NZ
until she is old enough for university. All her family lives here and she has a very
loving father. As an actress it's always painful to turn down offers, but I couldn't
accept anything that involved being parted from Daisy for any stretch of time. I've made a
bundle of money, but that's not everything. Daisy comes first. I wouldn't be a happy old
lady if I hadn't spent precious time whit my daughter while she was growing up."
While there is a great deal of love between father and daughter, Daisy also shares a
strong bond with her new stepfather. "I'm really grateful Daisy gets on well with
Rob. That can always be a touchy situation with children. But they hit it off from the
moment I introduced them to each other three years ago. Rob is a wonderful
stepfather."
Rob includes Daisy in many of the activities he and Lucy enjoy - fishing, hiking and
sailing trips.
Lucy attends parent teacher meetings at her daughter's Auckland school and is involved
in community fund-raising.
"She likes that her friends think I'm cool, although she doesn't want to share me.
She gets annoyed when kids crowd around me. In fact, I've stopped signing autographs at
school for her sake."
END
Many thanks to Liz for the transcript.
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