Lily Sastry, daughter of Rowan Atkinson, opens up about the challenges of her parents’ divorce in her first public statement.

Lily Sastry, the daughter of Rowan Atkinson, has recently opened up about her parents’ separation. She disclosed that their divorce caused her significant emotional turmoil, leading her into a period of darkness and uncertainty.

Mr Bean star Rowan, 70, separated from Lily’s mother, former BBC make-up artist Sunetra Sastry, in 2015 after 24 years of marriage. 

Rowan Atkinson’s ex-wife, Sunetra, was swiftly granted a divorce citing Rowan’s unreasonable behavior. Since then, Rowan has been romantically involved with actress Louise Ford, who is 44 years old.

Reflecting on her parents’ breakup, Lily, who is 30 years old, shared how she grappled with feelings of isolation during her twenties while trying to navigate life with her fractured family.

‘I went through so much chaos and loneliness in my twenties. Now I am 30, I can see clearly where I was at and what was happening inside me during the darkest days,’ Lily said. 

‘I was so lost, and only really started to feel vaguely normal in my late twenties. I have always been trapped between worlds; do not belong here, but also don’t belong there.’

In her early twenties, Lily tried her hand at burlesque dancing and then moved onto singing, which her father was reportedly backed financially.

She changed her surname from Atkinson to her mother’s, Sastry, in 2017, leading to whispers of a possible rift between Lily and the Blackadder star.

Lily, who lives in London, is now a professional artist, and had her debut exhibition at a small independent gallery in the capital last December.

‘It’s hard to find out who you are in the midst of no friends, a broken family, and no idea how to navigate making music and trying to understand the world,’ she continued. 

‘It has taken me years to figure out my life and who I am, as well as become the best person I can be. I have made countless mistakes, and been hurt, lost, and alone many a time.’

She added: ‘Art was my guiding light. The thing that made all the suffering worth it; as I was working towards a goal, a dream.’

Rowan and Sunetra also have a son, Ben Atkinson, 31, who is an officer in the Royal Gurkha Regiment.

Rowan and his current partner Louise first met in 2013 after appearing together in the West End as he starred in the comic play Quartermaine’s Terms.

The couple have kept their relationship relatively low-key and under wraps ever since and are rarely spotted out together. 

Rowan and Sunetra were building an £11million home in Oxfordshire at the time of their split in 2014.

Following the split, Blackadder star moved into a £4million London cottage while Sunetra resided in a £21million mansion in the capital, bought for her by Rowan in 2014.