Lily Allen blames her mum for her love worries

Lily Allen hasn't had the best of luck finding love. And she thinks it may have something to do with her parents not being around when she and her little brother Alfie were growing up.

Lack of attention: Lily Allen with her mother Alison Owen

In an emotional interview, Lily revealed how she lacked the attention she craved as a youngster, which has left her insecure and desperate to please. She said: "We were quite naughty kids.

Alfie was really bad, I just went into myself. I was a polite sort of cowering child. I didn't talk much, I spoke to adults but not to anyone my own age."

It's hard to imagine the gobby 23-year-old being a shy and retiring child - but she insists it's true.

In retrospect Lily, 23, also wishes she had more parental supervision from her film producer mother Alison Owen after her father Keith left the family when she was four.

She said: "My mum had to work to support us and we lacked the attention we needed as children, which I think is one of the fundamental problems in our society.

" I'm not saying women shouldn't go and work for a living - that's not the answer - but something has to adjust because children are being neglected in an emotional level and it's having an effect on the world."

In Lily' s case, she thinks the neglect resulted in a constant need to be noticed and a tendancy to act out.

She added: "In the beginning I was so insecure and felt like I couldn't make friends. I totally felt 'everyone hates me and I need to prove myself', and I thought 'if I'm a famous singer, everyones gonna love me and my life's gonna be ok'. I didn't realise I would be opening myself up to more criticism."

Poor lamb.