Cate Blanchett says being a mum ‘not all that I am’

Cate Blanchett has declared she’s more than just a mother.

The 55-year-old Hollywood actress – who is mum to four children with her husband Andrew Upton – has opened up about her personal life in a candid new interview insisting she’s proud of raising her kids but there’s more to her life than just motherhood.

She told Harper’s Bazaar’s Spain: “I love my children. Motherhood is a vital part of who I am, but it is not all that I am.

“I think there are many people who are a mother to communities in the workplace. It is equality, it is a sense of care, respect and nurturing.

“If we all developed a greater sense of motherhood , in the best possible way, men and women, the world would be a better place.”

Blanchett and Upton are parents to three sons – Dashiell, Roman and Ignatius, and daughter Edith, who they adopted in 2015.

In the interview, Blanchett also spoke about her acting career and insisted she thrives off the challenge of taking on projects that push her out of her comfort zone – comparing it to her daily ice water plunges.

She explained: “For the last few years, I’ve been diving into ice-cold water every morning and I love it, but every day it seems impossible.

“I don’t want to do it, although once I get in, I’m there and I’m present. And when I get out I’m so glad I did it.

“My relationship with acting is a bit like that. I always feel like I’m slightly out of my comfort zone.”

When asked if she ever considers giving up on Hollywood, she replied: “For me, giving up contains a quality of surrender. And I think that giving yourself to a project is the place from which you have to start every time.

“I always give up because I always work with people who are much more talented and creative. And the project has to be bigger than you. But giving up is not in my plans. These times demand courage and resilience.”