The path to becoming a mother was not always a clear one for birthday girl and ‘California Girls’ singer Katy Perry, who has experienced ups and downs in her love life as well as uncertainties in the decision whether or not to start a family.
From her high-profile split from Russell Brand to finding new love and welcoming a baby with Orlando Bloom in her mid-thirties, the ‘Roar’ singer has had quite the journey – and she’s enthusiastically embraced her newest chapter.
Read on to find out more about Katy’s journey to motherhood…
Her first known boyfriend was former Paramore band member Justin York – whom she dated in 2001 when she was 17. Subsequently, Katy was linked to several musicians, including Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine and Gym Class Heroes’ Travie McCoy.
Katy dated several musicians in her 20s
She also had a one-year relationship with Sons of Anarchy actor Johnny Lewis, which ended in 2006. He inspired some her songs ‘Circle the Drain’ and ‘The One Who Got Away’ and Katy was said to be devastated in 2012 when he was found dead after a history of drug addiction and run-in with the law.
Marriage to Russell Brand
The duo met in 2008 when Katy filmed a cameo in one of Russell’s films, Get Him to the Greek, but it wasn’t until 2009 that the couple became romantically involved. They married in 2010, in a Hindu wedding ceremony in India.
14 months later, the marriage was over, after the the actor ended their relationship via text message.
“Let’s just say I haven’t heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me December 31, 2011,” said Katy in 2016 when asked by Vogue if she was still in contact with her ex.
The couple were married for less than two years
A clip of Katy in tears at one of her shows having just received the message was included in her documentary Katy Perry: Part of Me.
What went wrong? Speaking to Vogue in 2013, Katy said: “At first when I met him he wanted an equal, and I think a lot of times strong men do want an equal, but then they get that equal and they’re like, ‘I can’t handle the equalness.’ He didn’t like the atmosphere of me being the boss on tour. So that was really hurtful, and it was very controlling, which was upsetting.
“I felt a lot of responsibility for it ending, but then I found out the real truth, which I can’t necessarily disclose because I keep it locked in my safe for a rainy day. I let go and I was like, ‘This isn’t because of me; this is beyond me.’ So I have moved on from that.”
Katy at the premiere of her documentary Katy Perry: Part of Me
Love life before Orlando
Following her divorce in 2012, Katy was involved in a short but PDA-filled relationship with Florence + The Machine band member Robert Ackroyd.
One of Katy’s more high-profile relationships was between 2012 and 2014 with fellow singer John Mayer, where the pair were on-again and off-again for two years, even starring in a music video together.
In the same year, Katy was briefly involved with American DJ and music producer Diplo, and famously rated him third best in bed behind John Mayer and Orlando Bloom on the Late Late Show with James Corden.
Katy and John Mayer wrote a song together
Her relationship with Orlando
Katy met the Lord of the Rings actor in 2016, at a Golden Globes afterparty. Their first encounter wasn’t as glam as you might expect – as she explained on an episode of American Idol.
She said: “I met my boyfriend over In-N-Out. We were at the Golden Globes and we weren’t together,” she said. “So I had my security guard grab 10 In-N-Outs and all of a sudden I see my boyfriend’s hand — he wasn’t even sitting at our table — he just swoops in and he grabs it and I was like, ‘Hey that’s my burger!’ ”
In February 2016, just a month after their first meeting, Orlando introduced Katy to his son Flynn, who he shares with model Miranda Kerr. The couple were married for three years, from 2010 to 2013.
Katy and Orlando share one child together
By her own admissions, Katy has said she was never “very maternal” which she thinks “stems from some childhood stuff”, but seeing the way Orlando was with his son Flynn made her want to become a mother.
“Orlando, I got to see what a great dad he was with his first child Flynn,” she told Chlsea Handler during her podcast Dear Chelsea. “That definitely primally influenced me. Something inside of me said, ‘You. Mid-30s. This man is nice. Must breed’.”
The couple have known each other for almost a decade
Katy’s pregnancy
When expecting, the star told People in 2020: “My blessing in all of what I went through is that I just feel like I have a bigger, more dimensional life. I get to live life and I get to bring life into the world. I am glad [a daughter] is in the cards for me.”
Daisy’s birth
The couple teamed up with UNICEF to announce the arrival of Daisy Dove via its website and Instagram. Katie has been a UNICEF Goodwill ambassador since 2013, while Orlando took on the role in 2009. The post featured a black-and-white photograph of the new parents holding their baby’s tiny hand.
The happy couple shared a sweet baby announcement
“We are floating with love and wonder from the safe and healthy arrival of our daughter,” Katy and Orlando wrote in the caption. “We know we’re the lucky ones and not everyone can have a birthing experience as peaceful as ours was.”
The ‘Firework’ singer later told Jimmy Kimmel what a “great support“ Orlando had been during Daisy’s birth. “We had a little boombox. He was there and he was so wonderful, and just holding my hand and looking into my eyes,” she said.
The special meaning behind Daisy’s name
Daisy made her first public appearance aged three, supporting her mum at her Vegas residency
Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Katy explained the meaning behind their name choice: “Daisy, to me, means purity and Dove means peace and Bloom feels like it means joy, so it’s very pure, peace and joy.”
What Katy has said about motherhood
Katy continued performing whilst pregnant with baby Daisy
Defending her single ‘Woman’s World’, Katy told Alex Cooper on Call Her Daddy: “When I speak about ‘Woman’s World,’ I speak about feeling so empowered now, as a mother, as a woman, giving birth, creating life, creating another set of organs. A brain! A heart! I created a whole ass heart! And I did it, and I’m still doing it. I’m still a matriarch and feeling really grounded in that, that’s where I’m speaking from.”
Daisy’s arrival taught her the meaning of unconditional love, she says. “Nothing can prepare you for that wave of unconditional love,” she told People in 2021. “I never really truly knew about unconditional love,” she explained. “Obviously my mother has that for me, but I didn’t really experience it in the first-person until I had my child, and that was just a whole ‘nother level.”
Katy’s joy since welcoming baby Daisy
Speaking about starting a family, Katy told Heart Breakfast: “It’s the best decision I ever made. I climbed every mountain, a lot of mountains, a lot of Everests in my life. I was looking for these views and then I met her and I was like, that’s the view I’ve been looking for.
“Now the joy is not outside of myself, it’s within me and it’s with her and it’s like nothing is stopping that.”
Katy said becoming a mother has meant she experiences “unconditional love”
On Mother’s Day in May, the ‘Teenage Dream’ singer wrote via Instagram: “Today I told my mother that the day I realised how much she loved me is the day I had my own daughter, Daisy Dove… there is nothing like a Mother’s love… never take it for granted… Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers and caretakers — any way you come.”
She has also opened up about how Daisy has “healed” her, and taught her to enjoy songwriting again.
Katy’s approach to motherhood
Katy released a single titled ‘Daisies’ in 2020
Being a mom has meant that Katy can find joy in “the most mundane, beautiful things”. “You get this surge of joy back and it just makes everything come to life,” she told ET Canada.
“I’ve learned a lot about presence and that was something that I really wanted to give as a mother,” she added. “Yeah, there’s a zillion WhatsApp chats on fire, but I’m going to put this down and I’m going to colour with you right now for 30 minutes because I love you.”
The star has new priorities these days.
“My definition of success is just her happiness,” she told Chelsea Handler. “Her happiness really gives me that joy. A lot of BS just falls away. Stuff that you thought was important really was never important.”
She concluded, “Your family really starts to become first.”
BY MILLIE JACKSON
