Tamara Ecclestone admits she hasn't spent 'more than six and a half minutes' away from daughter Sophia

'My daughter isn't just part of my life, she is my life.'

Tamara Ecclestone has opened up about her parenting technique in a recent interview, revealing that she's never spent more than six-and-a-half minutes away from her daughter Sophia.

Before giving birth to her now three-year-old daughter, Tamara was famed for being an 'IT girl'. However, since becoming a mum, her priorities have changed drastically.

Now, the 32-year-old mum, who's also an outspoken breastfeeding advocate and regularly posts breastfeeding pictures to Instagram, has opened up to The Telegraph about how much motherhood means to her, saying her daughter 'isn't just part of my life, she is my life'.

Speaking about the controversy her breastfeeding snaps sometimes cause, the heiress said, 'I believe women should do what they feel is right for them and never feel under pressure to change their beliefs.

'I seem to have outraged half the world because I want to breastfeed my daughter for as long as she wants me to - if she wants me to when she's four or five, that's OK by me.'

Tamara continued to reveal just how involved her parenting style is, admitting she can't stand to be away from her daughter and before taking her to nursery in January she had never spent more than a few minutes away from her.

'Until January, when I first took her to nursery, the longest we had ever been apart was six and a half minutes, when I went on a television show.'

The mother-of-one recalled a scene that many mums will empathise with, feeling emotional after leaving her little one for the first time.

'The first few days she went, I sat outside in the car and cried my eyes out. My husband thinks I'm insane. But I missed her. My daughter isn't just part of my life, she is my life.

'Being a mother,' she continues, 'is to me, the most important thing. From the start it's been 100 per cent. It might not be the right way, but it's my way and all I know is I have a very happy, secure daughter.'

The daughter of Formula One's Bernie Ecclestone admits that before becoming a mum, partying was a big part of her life - something that she thought her daughter would 'fit into'.

'I was planning on Sophia fitting into my lifestyle. And then the day she was born [by C-section in March 2014] I couldn't let go of her.

'I didn't sleep for three days because I wouldn't put her in the plastic cot. I was terrified to fall asleep with her in my arms. A nurse came and asked me if I wanted her to take Sophia so I could rest and I just wailed, "No". That was the beginning of the way we live now.'

But being an attentive mother can come with some sacrifices, as Tamara admits she spends little alone time with husband Jay.

'He's not the most important person in my life. Sophia is. He's found that difficult at times, which I think a lot of men do. I'm so exhausted every night that I can barely stay up past 9pm and we've never had a 'date night' since she was born.'

But despite loving motherhood, Tamara says she's not ready for another child just yet.

'He wants another one - but I'm not quite ready yet. It will happen. Just not right now.'

Did you struggle to be parted from your child when they first went to nursery? Tell us your experience in the comment box.

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