‘She hasn’t told the full story. This is typical her’: How David Harbour is ‘looking after’ Lily Allen’s daughters despite ‘victim’ singer publicly humiliating him… as insider tells DOLLY BUSBY what’s REALLY going on

He looked like any father who would treat his two daughters to a day at the Epic Universe theme park in Orlando, Florida.

Actor David Harbour, 50, whose marriage to singer Lily Allen ended in December last year, wore a hat with an oversized red Mario T-shirt and baggy Stone Island tracksuit bottoms, while young girls wore Super Mario headbands with green ears and red mushrooms.

In a video posted Saturday, the crowd is seen wandering around the Universal Orlando resort, chatting with fans and trying out the rides.

But the Daily Mail reveals the girls are none other than Ethel, 13, and Marnie, 12, Allen’s daughters with her first husband, builder and decorator Sam Cooper. Lily was looking after her children on the weekend that Lily released an album that was widely thought to be an attempt to publicly disparage Harbor and his role in the breakdown of their marriage.

This is a surprising development. Ultimately, the album reveals details – or at least hints of them – that portray Harbor as an unsupportive husband, cheater and ‘sex addict’ in semi-autobiographical track after track. At the center of the film is a character named Madeline, who allegedly has a secret relationship with him.

Ms. Allen and Harbor with daughters Marnie Rose Cooper and Ethel Cooper at the Stranger Things 4 premiere in 2022

The West End Girl album is proving to be a major triumph for the 40-year-old Allen. Since its release on Friday, the songs have been streamed more than eight million times on Spotify worldwide, while the album is already topping the UK iTunes album chart.

There is no doubt that the real-life drama that is alleged to be involved adds to its success. Allen’s first musical release in seven years tells a sordid tale of sexual betrayal that led his worldwide fanbase to brand the actor ‘evil’, ‘disgusting’ and ‘the worst man’ online.

But if the relationship ended with public accusation, it began as a dream come true for the singer.

The couple married in Las Vegas a year after they met in 2019, with only Ethel and Marnie in attendance. Allen shared photos of his daughters eating burgers outside the chapel as they celebrated with their new stepfather.

But as she claims in her ‘tell all’ album, her marriage began to falter when she starred on the West End stage in 2021. In fact, the lyrics of the first song, West End Girl, strongly suggest that Harbor was not supportive of his new career as a stage actor in the play 2:22 A Ghost Story. It is thought that around this time Harbor wanted an open marriage but ended up ‘breaking the rules’ and cheating on her.

Harbor, now public enemy number one among many, shut down the internet and turned off comments on social media. But although internet sleuths picture him cowering in shame in his Brooklyn apartment, he’s apparently not hiding at all, offering a joyful day out to the children of the woman who publicly dissed him.

A source who knows Allen well told the Daily Mail: ‘This is typical Lily. He opens his mouth and scolds someone, while the man looks after his children.

In interviews and in her lyrics, she told people what she wanted them to hear, which means she was the victim.

‘But it didn’t tell the whole story. Again, typical Lily. David spent several years as Ethel and Marnie’s stepfather. It’s nice to see that they’re at least still in a relationship. You wonder why Lily feels the need to attack David so much and try to make him look like the worst man in the world when he’s actually looking after their daughter.’

Harbor, who has no children of his own, reportedly kept a low profile while accompanying the girls and a group of friends, chatting with fans at the theme park.

One person commented on a video of the band on Epic Universe: ‘We met him today and he didn’t take too kindly to us saying hi and quickly exchanged ideas with us.’

Another fan added: ‘So he’s there with his kids while Lily is promoting an album.’

On Thursday, the night before the release of West End Girl, the actor was also spotted watching the New York Rangers play ice hockey at the Madison Square Garden arena. Social media comments imply that Ethel and Marnie were also there, but this cannot be confirmed.

Meanwhile, Allen has been celebrating the release of West End Girl, which was recorded over 16 days in Los Angeles in December last year, by giving several interviews in the UK about Harbor and his daughters. Asked by British Vogue earlier this month if Harbor would continue to be step-parent to his two daughters following their acrimonious split, he said: ‘You’ll have to ask him.’

She also told the magazine: ‘The things I went through in my marriage are recorded, but that doesn’t mean it’s all good news. ‘It’s inspired by what’s going on in the relationship.’

Their daughters are also featured on the album.

In the song Relapse, Allen describes how Harbor creates ‘mess’ as she tries to be a ‘modern wife’, but struggles with their open marriage and life in America. According to the song, none of these provided girls with good role models.

Ms. Allen and Harbor celebrate in America at the 2022 Met Gala: A Fashion Anthology

Today’s new cover story from Perfect Magazine features Ms. Allen returning to music after seven years with her new album, West End Girl

“Girls look to me to teach them all about love, but I can’t seem to keep it together long enough,” he sings. Allen details how he struggled to maintain his sobriety. ‘I need a drink. I need Valium. ‘You pushed me this far and I need numbness.’

On another track, Let You Win, Allen talks about protecting the girls from the true nature of her divorce from Harbour.

He sings: ‘Don’t tell the children, the truth will be cruel, your reputation will not be tarnished.’

He then adds: ‘Lie to the kids, it was mutual, I’ll shoulder all the pain.

‘I’m tired of carrying your sins and suffering. I already got you in, so why should I let you win? ‘You took everything.’

Harbor rose to prominence in 2016 in the sci-fi horror series Stranger Things, playing hulking detective Jim Hopper, the trustworthy and fatherly figure to Millie Bobby Brown’s character Eleven. But on Allen’s podcast Did You Miss Me? – before they broke up – she admitted that she ‘never wanted children’ before meeting him.

Recalling the first time she met her daughters, she said: ‘I was scared but fell in love with them straight away.

‘The feeling people talked about when they had children was the feeling that you wanted to take care of them, that you wanted to give them everything.’

Over the years, Harbor said he grew into the role of a caring, hands-on stepfather, helping with daily tasks like packing luggage for summer camp and driving them long distances when Allen’s plans changed.

He described becoming a stepfather as “the most amazing and enjoyable thing” he’s ever done.

‘There was such a unique love for them,’ he said. ‘They were innocent, little faces staring at me and it really pushed me over the edge. ‘I realized this is a family, a pre-formed family, and I want to be there for them.’

For all her hatred for him, which is evident throughout the 14-track album, Allen also praised Harbor for the life he provided for his daughters.

It’s been almost a year since the collapse of their marriage, but she said earlier this month: ‘My children had an incredible experience living in America for five years and I have great affection for my ex-husband.

‘I think we’re all suffering.’