She explained that it took her time to understand that these feelings are natural and part of the process of raising children. “Slowly I’ve realised it’s okay to have those feelings,” she said.
Image Source: Instagram/@ileana_official
Motherhood is a beautiful journey, but actress Ileana D’Cruz admits it has also been one of the toughest roles of her life. The actress, who welcomed her second baby, Keanu Rafe Dolan, in June this year, recently opened up about her emotional struggles after pregnancy.
In a chat with actress Neha Dhupia during a ‘Freedom to Feed’ live session, Ileana shared that she often faced moments of self-doubt. “There were times I felt I wasn’t a perfect mother. I broke down so many times, wondering if I was doing things right,” she said.
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She explained that it took her time to understand that these feelings are natural and part of the process of raising children. “Slowly I’ve realised it’s okay to have those feelings, it’s all part of the process,” she added.
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Ileana, who is married to Michael Dolan, is now a proud mother of two boys. The couple’s first child, Koa Phoenix Dolan, was born in August 2023. Less than two years later, their second son, Keanu, arrived on June 19, 2025. The actress shared the happy news on Instagram on June 28 with the first picture of her newborn.
On the work front, she last appeared in the romantic comedy ‘Do Aur Do Pyaar’, directed by Shirsha Guha Thakurta. The film also starred Vidya Balan, Pratik Gandhi, and Sendhil Ramamurthy.
At 38, Ileana has already built a strong place for herself in both South and Hindi cinema. She began her career in 2006 with the Telugu romantic drama ‘Devadasu’. Then she went on to deliver hits like ‘Pokiri’, ‘Jalsa’, ‘Kick’, and ‘Julayi’. She also acted in the Tamil film ‘Nanban’.
Her Bollywood journey started in 2012 with Anurag Basu’s ‘Barfi!’, which was a huge success. She then appeared in several Hindi films including ‘Main Tera Hero’, ‘Phata Poster Nikhla Hero’, ‘Happy Ending’, ‘Mubarakan’, ‘Pagalpanti’, ‘The Big Bull’, and the thrillers ‘Rustom’ and ‘Raid’.
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