THIS mum and daughter believe they are the closest in Britain, swapping everything from clothes to sex tips. But Deborah Mitchell, 55, and daughter Ella Jane Cox, 23, weren’t always so close – as growing up Ella resented the mum’s workaholic ways. Married mum-of-two Deborah, from Shropshire, owns Heaven Skincare, counting everyone from Kate Middleton […]
THIS mum and daughter believe they are the closest in Britain, swapping everything from clothes to sex tips.
But Deborah Mitchell, 55, and daughter Ella Jane Cox, 23, weren’t always so close – as growing up Ella resented the mum’s workaholic ways.
Married mum-of-two Deborah, from Shropshire, owns Heaven Skincare, counting everyone from Kate Middleton to Victoria Beckham among her famous clients.
In an exclusive chat with Fabulous, Ella says: “I would say we are the closest mum and daughter in the UK. None of my other friends are this close with their mums.
“Because we have had such a rocky start, we feel that we have been making up for it.
“My mates think she is a brilliant mum and that I don’t appreciate her enough. I would say she is a cool mum, she spoils me and has all these famous contacts.”
Ella lives in ‘the little house’, an extension at the home of her mum and 55-year-old husband Chris, who owns a food production company.
But the beauty enthusiast, who has a 22-year-old brother also called Chris, admits their relationship hasn’t always been an easy one.
Ella says: “I didn’t even like my mum. From the first day I came home from the hospital, she placed me in my nan’s arms and turned her back on me and went to work.
“My nan was there when I took my first steps; my nan was there to soothe me when I cut my first teeth. My nan was there for all my ‘firsts’.
“All the milestones my mum was supposed to have been there for, it was my nan who was there in her place.”
I would say we are the closest mum and daughter in the UK. None of my other friends are this close with their mums
Ella Jane Cox
She adds: “Mum was a stranger who just lived in our house. She was gone first thing in the morning and didn’t come home until last thing at night.
“And on the odd occasion she was home, she would usually end up inviting clients over so she could give them complimentary treatments.
“There are workaholics and then there’s my mum. She takes everything to a whole new level.
“Two days a week, she was responsible for school runs. We were always late, not five or ten minutes. We were late two or three hours.
“Most of the time she didn’t even bother taking us in. Other times she would drop us off late and say we had been at the dentist.”
It was in her early teens that Ella feels her mum finally acknowledged her existence, when she developed an interest in make-up.
She says: “I was desperate to use face wipes, so simple, so easy. All my pals were raving about them.
“My mum refused to let me use them, because they were full of stuff that was bad for my skin. I didn’t care, I sneakily bought some.
“She was livid, so I told her to give me an alternative. She said, ‘I will make them; in fact you will make them’.
“It took two years and then we launched Ella face wipes. That was when our relationship took off.
“My mum threw a big launch party, my favourite Made in Chelsea stars like Binky Felstead and Louise Thompson came to the party, and I was flavour of the month at school.
“All of a sudden I was the most popular kid, everyone wanted to know me, to hang out with me.”
Now working within her mum’s company, Ella says it doesn’t get in the way of their relationship anymore.
She adds: “Now we are so close, we work out together, we shop together, holiday together and do all the regular stuff as well.
“We work and live together, so we are rarely apart. On the odd occasion we are apart, I really miss her.
“I can talk to my mum about anything, my sex life, boyfriends, vices, everything. Nothing is off limits with mum, she never judges me.
“I go to her for sex advice because she is always honest about it, she doesn’t give me the glossy Hollywood version.
“She never lays down the law and never judges, it’s more of a best friend relationship than a mother-daughter one.”
I go to her for sex advice because she is always honest about it. I did once have to delete a boyfriend’s number from Mum’s phone, because she was messaging him more than I was
Ella Jane Cox
Ella, who is single, says she wouldn’t care if a boyfriend thought she was too close to her mum, as “their opinion doesn’t matter”.
She adds: “I did once have to delete a boyfriend’s number from Mum’s phone, because she was messaging him more than I was!
“We are so close that we share each other’s clothes, I’m constantly in my mum’s dressing room, nicking her gorgeous handbags or dipping into her make-up, and she steals my shoes too.”
Deborah finds it difficult that Ella only remembers the bad stuff from her childhood, as she tried her best to be a good mum.
She says: “The day that Ella Jane Cox was placed into my arms was the day that my ambition took on a whole new meaning.
“This precious little princess I had birthed would want for nothing. I decided then and there that I would build an empire that was worthy of her to inherit.
“I was determined to send her to private school and make sure her every whim was taken care of, but it’s true my mum looked after her.”
Deborah still feels it was the right thing to do, adding: “That’s my mum not a stranger, I could have quite easily hired a nanny.
“My work did become my life, but I was determined to make us free of financial worries. I was an unwed new mother; I did not have the security that being married gives you.
“It’s true we did go through some rough patches, and funnily enough it was my work that brought us together in a way I couldn’t have imagined.
“We worked on the Ella Jane Wipes for two years, we became so close.
“Ella was a true professional and was full of the most wonderful ideas on how to create this product; I was truly blown away by her professionalism and creativity. I was seeing a whole other side of her.
“We are so close now, she is my little best friend. I trust her more than anybody in the world; I have no secrets from her.
“I am so proud of her, and honoured and privileged to be her mum, she brings so much joy and happiness into my life, even when I find her poking around in my dressing room, stealing my handbags!”
