Madonna admits being a single mum is hard

Madonna has admitted that being a single mum to four children is hard work.

The singer said that she often struggles with the stress of raising Lourdes, 15, Rocco, 12, David, six, and Mercy, five, alone following her divorce from Guy Ritchie in 2008.

“I’m not going to lie – it’s hard work having four kids and doing all the work I do. Everybody has something to say about the way I live my life. At the end of the day I’m doing my best. If people don’t like it, then that’s really their problem,” Madonna told The Sun.

Speaking of the track ‘I Don’t Give A’ from her new album MDNA, she explained: “It’s about the life of a single mother. It’s a challenge juggling everything – multi-tasking is my middle name. I try to express that. Sometimes I cope with it very well, sometimes it’s a struggle.”

The track is also said to refer to her marriage to Ritchie, with lyrics including “I tried to be a good girl / I tried to be your wife / Diminished myself / And I swallowed my light”.

Madonna added: “I hope I’m a role model. I hope I give other girls a voice, women a voice, other women someone to look up to and admire. I keep rolling with the punches and trying to have integrity. And I hope I inspire women and give them strength to deal with life no matter what comes their way.”

The singer said that her children haven’t listened to MDNA in its entirety: “They definitely haven’t heard ‘Gang Bang’. I doubt that will ever get played on the radio.”

It was recently reported that Madonna is considering a marriage proposal from her toyboy lover Brahim Zaibat.