Claire Holt 'struggled' with identity after motherhood: 'I didn't know myself'

Claire Holt “struggled” with her identity after becoming a mother.

The ‘Vampire Diaries’ alum is mother to James, two, and Elle, 12 months, and has said she didn’t know how to process her new identity when she first became a parent, because her personality was so wrapped up in her acting career.

She said: “I have been so intensely chasing this dream of what I thought my career looked like for so many years. It is a real blessing to have been able to find the courage to veer off that trajectory. I first struggled with it when I had children because I didn’t know myself as any other identity than an actor.

“But I was thrust into motherhood, and that new identity is handed to you without any experience or knowledge going into it, aside from what other people tell you. It was definitely scary at the beginning, but now I’ve realised what an amazing blessing it has been for me to figure out who I really am as a person outside of the confines of my career.”

And the 33-year-old actress – who has her children with her husband Andrew Joblon – admitted she still isn’t sure “how to balance” her life as a mother with her career.

But Claire is working on expanding her career in ways that “don’t require” her to leave her family for extended periods of time.

She added to Ocean Drive magazine: “Motherhood is so incredible because as soon as that moment comes, nothing else matters as much as your children or the health of your family. My entire life from when I started acting at age 16 was always focused on how to reach my goals.

“When I had kids, I struggled with this back and forth — mentally as a career woman and who I am now — a mother who loves her children more than anything in the world.

“That’s why it’s been amazing to be able to expand my professional life in areas that complement my home life and don’t require me to leave my family and travel the world on set for months at a time.”