David Harbour on Being a Stepdad to Lily Allen's Kids: It's "the Meaning of Life"

David Harbour said becoming a stepdad to wife Lily Allen's children, 9-year-old Ethel and 8-year-old Marnie, revealed to him "the meaning of life."

london, england february 01 lily allen and david harbour arrive at the charles finch chanel pre bafta party at 5 hertford street on february 1, 2020 in london, england photo by david m benettdave benettgetty images
(Image credit: David M. Benett)
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Here is some very cute dad content, courtesy of David Harbour: The Stranger Things star said becoming a stepdad to wife Lily Allen's children, 9-year-old Ethel and 8-year-old Marnie, revealed to him "the meaning of life." Harbour made the sweet comments to Stephen Boss, guest host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the Independent reports. He and Allen tied the knot in Las Vegas last September. Allen shares Ethel and Marnie with her ex-husband, Sam Cooper.

"They’re British and I’m this cheese-fed American man and they really do like the fact they have an extra jungle gym," Harbour said. "They crawl all over me; they make it their job to try to hurt me as much as they can. My lower back is destroyed."

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"I have never experienced this kind of—I was always a single guy, who has been a bachelor for a long time, I’ve been an artist, I wanted to travel the world and do my work," he continued. "I never really wanted to have kids. And I get it now, why everybody has kids. Because it’s kind of like the meaning of life, you pass the torch to these other individuals."

"You love them more than you could ever love yourself, and I never thought that was possible with anyone—I love myself a lot," Harbour continued. "But it’s such a beautiful thing. My heart is just broken wide open and I have a new love I never had." Are you crying? I'm crying!

Emily Dixon
Emily Dixon
Morning Editor

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.