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Penelope Cruz© GettyImages

Penelope Cruz reveals the hardest thing about being a mom - and how she’s working on it

The Spanish actress openend up about juggling motherhood and work and her lifestyle tips for feeling and looking good


APRIL 30, 2020 8:19 AM EDT

Oscar winner  Penélope Cruz  turned 46 on April, 29, and to mark such a special date, she opened up about aspects of her life as a mom and as a glamorous Hollywood star. The Spanish actress talked about balancing her personal and professional life and which are the things that for her are non negotiable. Being a busy mom of two- she shares six-year-old Luna and nine-year-old Leo with husband  Javier Bardem  - it won’t come as a surprise that one of them is... sleeping!

“If I don’t have at least seven hours, I feel it later,” she told Red magazine. “I can lose focus, I can get moody. It is one of the toughest things about having children – you have to wake up earlier. I say to myself, “Go to dinner or go to bed? If I go out, how am I going to feel tomorrow?” Sleep always wins. I prefer to prioritise the rest so that I can be focused and strong later.”

In fact, she feels so strongly about it that her A-list friends can not believe their eyes when she makes an exception! “I went to Guy Oseary’s [Oscar] party,” she recalled, “It was great and I saw lots of friends. A lot of them said, “Wow, I can’t believe it’s 2am and you’re still here!” But, I do that once every two years!”

Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem© GettyImages
Penelope is happily married to Spanish actor Javier Bardem, together they have two children nine year old Leo and six year old Luna

Apart from sleeping, Penelope shared some other beauty tips to feel good with herself, ‘Feeling good is not about getting your hair and make-up done,’ she said, “It’s very important for me to eat well, eat clean and eat healthily.”

For the 46-year-old, being a mom and a wife comes naturally, although she admits it is important to make time for yourself. “I’m not so good at it because I’m a very nurturing person by nature, I have to keep reminding myself to also create time for myself. It’s not something that comes to me naturally, I tend to do the opposite, but I’m working on it!’