womanthismonth.com | MARCH 2026 MOTHER’S DAY 10 Motherhood Unfiltered Known for glamour, performance award-winning artistry, Tamar Leek shares a candid reflection on motherhood, identity, self-worth and the emotional realities of becoming a mother. Tamar may be known publicly for glamour and performance, but motherhood brought her into a very different kind of spotlight – one that forced her to reconsider the relationship she had long had with her body. Speaking with honesty, she says: “I’ve struggled with an ongoing eating disorder since my teenage years. “Long before pregnancy, my relationship with my body was complicated. I grew up navigating a lot of criticism, and was bullied throughout my school years. I internalised those voices and became deeply self-critical, almost a bully to myself. Discipline and control became my coping mechanisms. “The world sees glamour and performance. What it didn’t see was how hard I was on myself behind the scenes.” Because of that history, she expected pregnancy to be difficult. Instead, it surprised her. “I genuinely thought I would struggle watching my body change. But instead, I loved my bump,” she says. Rather than hiding from those changes, she embraced them, filming pregnancy fashion reels, wearing dramatic silhouettes and celebrating her shape. “I refused to shrink just because I was expecting. Carrying life and still feeling desirable was transformative.” For Tamar, that shift was not about suddenly becoming free of old struggles. It was quieter than that, but significant. “For the first time, I stopped fighting my body. I listened to it. Pregnancy didn’t erase my struggles, I’m not claiming some perfect recovery, but something shifted. “I still feel more comfortable being slim. That’s honest. But I’m no longer willing to sacrifice my wellbeing to get there. You can make peace with your body, even if it takes years.” Pressure and Permission Her honesty continues when the conversation turns to breastfeeding, a subject she feels remains far too loaded with judgement. “I feel very passionately about this topic because so many women I know struggled,” she says. “Out of 10 of my close friends, I would say eight couldn’t breastfeed, whether it was supply, medical reasons, mental health, returning to work, or simply that it wasn’t right for them. “So I see breastfeeding as luck. Not superiority. Not virtue. Just luck.” Tamar was fortunate in her own experience and speaks warmly about the bond it created with her son. “I enjoyed breastfeeding. It has been one of the most bonding and beautiful experiences of my life, and I’m deeply grateful for that. But the story could have been different for me.” She is careful to acknowledge the benefits of breast milk, but equally firm that those benefits should never be used to shame women. “I won’t sit here and pretend I don’t believe there are incredible biological benefits to breast milk. The way it adapts, the antibodies, the connection between mother and baby; it is genius design. “Criticising a mother for what she can’t control doesn’t make anyone superior, it only adds pressure and guilt. If a woman cannot breastfeed, or chooses not to for her mental health, her body, or her circumstances, that decision deserves empathy, not scrutiny.” Even in the best circumstances, she says, breastfeeding can be demanding. “When my son refused the bottle at four months, I suddenly had
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