IT’S New Year’s Day, the morning after the night before, and Liz Elliott has a banging headache and a hazy memory after one too many Proseccos.
She’s a 40-year-old gran but Liz’s idea of fun is an all-night rave, lots of booze and a Greggs breakfast the next morning.
A stinking hangover will earn her no sympathy from daughter Chloe, though. While you’d expect the 21-year-old to be enjoying similarly wild nights out, her life is the opposite — and that’s just the way she likes it.
Sensible mum-of-one Chloe is teetotal and vegan, preferring to spend her time reading books to her daughter, Elizabeth-Hope, three, and watching boxsets with her partner.
The couple, from Rotherham, South Yorks, own their own home. Single Liz, a taxi driver, lives in a rented place nearby with younger daughter Pamela, 16.
So when my girls grew old enough to look after themselves, I was determined to take some time back for me.
Liz Elliott, 40-year-old gran
After becoming a mum at a young age, Liz believes this is her time to have the fun her peers enjoyed in their early twenties.
“I was 17 when I got pregnant with Chloe and I thought my life was over,” she says. “Everyone was so negative about becoming a young mum and it was tough. I struggled in the early years, but eventually got my ducks in a row.
“I had to grow up quickly and my focus became making sure my girls had the best life possible.
“I worked long hours struggling for money to feed them, cooking for them, making sure their homework was done and that they had a clean and safe home.
“It was hard and very isolating — I saw my friends going out and having fun, and they drifted away.
“So when my girls grew old enough to look after themselves, I was determined to take some time back for me.
“Most of my mates lived this life in the early Noughties, but it’s my turn now.
“I go on a girls’ trip three or four times a year, saving hard to pay for them.
“We really know how to party. I have confidence I probably didn’t have when I was 20, but don’t worry about impressing men — I just have a good time.
“Yes, sometimes I probably drink a little too much. I love a JD and Coke.
“I’ve been known to dance on the tables and, if I go out to Ibiza, I party until the sun comes up.
“Then I spend the next day hung over around the pool, sipping a pina colada.
“I can finally afford to go on trips away and nights out with my girlfriends, so why not enjoy the freedom I missed out on?”
There’s also no chance you’ll see Liz in the mumsy “uniform” of flats, jeans and a nice top. She prefers a glam outfit and heels.
“There’s nothing in my wardrobe that is inappropriate, but I like fun, fashionable outfits,” she says.
“They’re probably not what you’d expect a gran to wear. I’ve not got my boobs hanging out, but I have some flesh on show.”
Liz admits people are taken aback when she reveals she has a granddaughter.
“When I talk to new people, I love to shock them with it,” she says. “It’s my party piece.
“They say I don’t look old enough, which I’m pleased about. I wouldn’t change being a grandma, but don’t want to look like one.”
I have had a few people send me messages on social media saying I’m an embarrassment, and I should be at home with my family — but nobody has said that to my face, and most people say ‘good for you’.
Liz
Despite this, Liz is more than happy to be a hands-on gran, looking after Elizabeth-Hope one day a week. “I adore taking her out to the farm and doing ‘normal’ granny things,” she says.
“I’ve just got a bit more life in me than most grandmas. I want to be a good grandma — just as I was a mum — and I want my granddaughter to be proud of me.
“I have had a few people send me messages on social media saying I’m an embarrassment, and I should be at home with my family — but nobody has said that to my face, and most people say ‘good for you’.
” I would hate for Chloe to think I’m embarrassing or say I shouldn’t be doing it – but if she told me to stop, I would. I might like a night out, but Chloe and her sister are still my priority.”
Chloe, now pregnant with her second baby, leads a much more sedate life than her mum.
The only time she gets glammed up is to contest beauty pageants — and last year she was crowned Miss Empower after helping to raise £1,000 for charity.
She prefers spending time playing with Elizabeth-Hope and feeding her healthy, home-made food.
Gen Z content creator Chloe says: “Mum felt she missed out on her youth by having children young.
The thought of going out and being out of control is scary. I’d hate to wake up and not remember the night before, but Mum does it all the time.
Liz's daughter Chloe, 21
“She deserves to have a good time — but I can’t think of anything worse than clubbing, I have have zero interest.
“I’ve never been into drinking. I had a glass of Prosecco when I turned 21 but don’t like the taste.
“Most people my age I know are quite health-conscious. I think it’s a bit of a generational difference.
“Also, I have endometriosis, so I’m very careful about what I put in my body and my daughter’s body.
“The thought of going out and being out of control is scary. I’d hate to wake up and not remember the night before, but Mum does it all the time.
“My ideal Saturday night is ordering a takeaway and binge-watching a show with my fiancé, then going to bed at 9pm.
“I like to be able to remember what I’ve been doing.
“I can’t ever see myself becoming a 40-year-old party animal like my mum. I’d just like to keep having more babies.”
Chloe started saving at a young age to buy her home, a three-bedroom pad. But while she lived with Liz, she often looked after her.
She recalls: “Once, Mum had booked a girls’ holiday and had two friends round ‘to help her pack’ the night before.
I woke at 3am and found Mum lying in the garden after too many Proseccos, giggling with her friends.
“I had to tell her to get her case packed and get to bed, and made sure she was up in time to catch the flight in the morning.
“She would never have dreamed of doing that while I was a child but since I turned 18, she thinks it’s now her time to go a bit crazy.”
Despite their close relationship, Chloe and Liz do not socialise together. “It’s too difficult for us to find something we both enjoy,” Chloe says. “We were trying to book a spa but mum would be straight on the fizz.
“I wouldn’t change her, though. When she needs to be my mum, she is, and she can be sensible.
“She’s my best friend and mum rolled into one. She’s crazy but great — I’m not embarrassed. The world would be boring if we were all the same.
“Growing up, she lacked confidence, now she’s found it and I say good for her.”
Liz adds: “Chloe puts her daughter first, and is a good mum. I’m proud of her.
“But maybe when she’s my age, she’ll let her hair down. As for me, I’m planning to keep enjoying life. I’ll be dancing all night, even when I’m silver-haired and in my seventies.”
