NEWSDavid Harbour's Raw Confession: Embracing Life's 'Mistakes' After Split From Lily Allen
David Harbour reflected on his past 'mistakes' and life lessons after his split from Lily Allen.
Nov. 4 2025, Published 7:00 a.m. ET
David Harbour is opening up about his life after reaching the big 5-0, reflecting on his past and the "mistakes" he’s made following his split from Lily Allen.
The Stranger Things star, who has recently made headlines as Allen appears to address their breakup on her new album, revealed he would face a tough decision if given the chance to change his past.
“You either accept your path completely and realize that even the pain and the slip-ups and the mistakes are all part of the journey, and that there’s truth and growth, wisdom and deeper empathy and connection in all that,” Harbour shared in an interview with Esquire Spain.
David Harbour reflected on turning 50 and the 'mistakes' he made after splitting from Lily Allen.
Harbour, who separated from Allen after four years of marriage, expressed a nuanced viewpoint about the lessons learned from life's challenges.
“If you’ve never been through anything, what do you really have to offer? If I were to change anything I’d change everything, and just make my life happy and silly and like, whatever, and then I wouldn’t be an artist anymore. And that would suck,” he continued.
The artist's songs 'P---- Palace' and 'Tennis' appear to reveal details about alleged affairs and emotional betrayal.
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Looking forward, the actor emphasized that he aims to tell rich and complex stories while fostering personal connections.
“Then of course there’s personal stuff that I want to do, and people that I want to love, and be good to and nurture, things like that,” he said.
Allen, 40, filed for divorce from Harbour in September, citing issues that stemmed from their four-year marriage.
In her new album, West End Girl, she indicates that Harbour may be a "s-- addict" who breached the terms of their open marriage. One track, "P---- Palace," reflects on her shocking discovery of adult toys, lube and "hundreds" of condoms.
The 'Stranger Things' actor said he’s learned to accept pain and failures.
In the song "Tennis," she recounts the moment she confronted Harbour over text messages exchanged with a woman named Madeline.
She wanted clarity on whether it was “just s--, or is there emotion?” The woman at the center of the alleged affair was later identified as Natalie Tippett, a costume designer from the 2021 Netflix film We Have a Ghost, filmed in New Orleans.
Lily Allen filed for divorce in September.
On Halloween, Allen took a playful jab at her estranged husband, dressing as Madeline from a beloved children’s book series.
Tippett acknowledged to Daily Mail that she’s aware of the drama unfolding.
“But I have a family and things to protect. I have a 2-and-a-half-year-old daughter, and I understand this is going on,” she said.
“It’s a little bit scary for me,” she added.
