Millie Bobby Brown's 10-year journey from child star to married mum-of-two: Actress, 22, was left 'anxious' by fame and 'humiliated' by an ex's claims before swapping Hollywood for quiet farm life with husband and kids

Since her breakout role in Stranger Things back in 2016, Millie Bobby Brown has had a busy decade.The actress, now 22, rose to fame as a child star in the hit Netflix series, but in the years since has transitioned into a new role: motherhood.On Thursday it was revealed that she and husband Jake Bongiovi have adopted their second child, with the star later sharing on Instagram their new baby was a boy.The couple adopted their first child, a daughter, in August 2025, with the actress previously sharing that she'd always dreamed of adopting a baby.Although she is already a proud mother-of-two, Millie has shared she hopes to fall pregnant and carry her own child sometime in the future.Millie was skyrocketed into the spotlight practically overnight after she was cast in the wildly popular Stranger Things at only 12 years old. Since her breakout role in Stranger Things back in 2016, Millie Bobby Brown has had a busy decade, but in the past year she's moved into a new role: motherhood On Thursday it was revealed that she and husband Jake Bongiovi have adopted their second child, with the star later sharing on Instagram their new baby was a boy The couple adopted their first child, a daughter, in August 2025, with the actress previously sharing that she'd always dreamed of adopting a baby The series transformed Millie into a massive sensation almost immediately, but being thrust into the public eye at such a young age was not easy for the star.She has been honest about the harrowing dark sides to child stardom, once revealing that she developed serious 'anxiety' and started having 'panic attacks' due to the immense pressures that come with fame.While she gained a strong legion of fans after Stranger Things debuted, Millie has also said that she was subjected to a slew of negative comments as she matured in front of millions.Over the years, she's been criticised for everything from the way she has dressed to her behavior during interviews.She has said that the constant public scrutiny 'diminished' her and 'stripped her down', ultimately 'stunting her growth mentally'.Millie has also been fiercely honest about how she was 'sexualised' from a young age, resulting in immense 'pain and insecurity'.Millie was born in Marbella, Spain, in February 2004, to British parents.She moved to Bournemouth, England, at age four and lived there until she was eight, when she and her family relocated to Orlando, Florida, so she could pursue her dreams of being an actress.'It was like a bug,' she previously told Variety of her love of acting. 'I know this sounds crazy, but once I find something I want to do, nobody's stopping me. 'If I don't know how to sew, and I really had that passion to sew, that's it, I'm going to sew. That's also with acting. So here I am.'She also told Allure that she turned to acting because she 'struggled with self-identity'.'I enjoyed being different people because I always struggled with self-identity and knowing who I was,' she shared. Millie has been honest about the harrowing dark sides to child stardom , once revealing that she developed serious 'anxiety' and started having 'panic attacks' Millie was born in Marbella, Spain, in February 2004, to British parents. She grew up in Bournemouth, England, until she was eight, when she and her family relocated to Orlando Her big break came in 2016 when she was cast as Eleven in the Netflix show Stranger Things. It skyrocketed Millie into massive stardom practically over night'Even as a young person, I always felt like I didn't quite belong in every room I was in. 'I also struggle with loneliness a bit. I always felt quite alone in a crowded room, like I was just one of a kind, like nobody ever really understood me. 'So I liked [playing] characters that people understood [and] people could relate to because I felt like no one could relate to Millie.'Millie landed her first role at age nine when she had a brief appearance in the ABC series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.She then had small parts in the shows Intruders, NCIS, Modern Family and Grey's Anatomy.But her big break came in 2016 when she was cast as Eleven in the Netflix show Stranger Things at only 12 years old. The series, which broke viewing records on the platform and has since gone on to become a worldwide phenomenon loved by millions, skyrocketed Millie into massive stardom practically overnight.Immediately, her career took off. She went on to star in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla v Kong, Netflix's Enola Holmes, Enola Holmes 2, and Damsel.In addition to her booming acting career, Millie also ventured into the world of modeling and landed tons of sponsorship deals with brands like Citigroup, Calvin Klein, Moncler and Louis Vuitton. She also launched her own line of beauty products, called Florence by Mills, in 2019, and released a novel, entitled Nineteen Steps, in 2023. Now, she's currently gearing up to star in the upcoming Russo Brothers' sci-fi movie The Electric State, which will hit theaters next month.While she quickly gained a strong legion of fans after Stranger Things debuted, she has said that she was also subjected to a slew of negative comments as the matured in front of millionsBeing thrust into the spotlight at such a young age certainly comes with tons of perks, but it also has its downsides.It has not been easy for Millie, who has been outspoken about the harrowing dark sides to child stardom.While she quickly gained a strong legion of fans after Stranger Things debuted, she has said that she was also subjected to a slew of negative comments as she matured in front of millions.Over the years, she's been criticised for dressing too 'adult' and was slammed for her behavior during interviews.She once told Variety that she was accused of trying to 'steal her co-stars' thunder' because she accidentally talked over them, and recalled how adults would call her names like an 'idiot,' a 'brat', or 'stupid' online when she was just a child.'We're kids - we talk over each other,' she noted. 'I was just penalized for over-talking and oversharing and being too loud.'It's hard to hear that at 13. You're like, "I don't want to ever talk again. I don't want to be the loud person."'In interviews I couldn't help but think of all the comments. So I just remembered to stay silent and speak when I was spoken to, even though I was dying to join in. I just felt it wasn't my turn.'You cannot speak on children that are underage. I mean, our brains physically have not grown yet. 'To diminish and practically stunt someone's growth mentally, strip them down, tell them, "Hey, listen, you don't look that great. Why are you wearing that? How dare you think you can wear that? How dare you say that?"' On her 16th birthday in 2020, Millie posted a lengthy note to Instagram in which she reflected on being 'sexualised' at a young age.'The last few years haven't been easy, I'll admit that. There are moments I get frustrated from the inaccuracy, inappropriate comments, sexualization, and unnecessary insults that ultimately have resulted in pain and insecurity for me,' she wrote.'But not ever will I be defeated. I'll continue doing what I love and spreading the message in order to make change.'During an appearance on Miley Cyrus's talk show months later, Millie said she went from being 'very confident' when she was first starting out to having 'really bad anxiety' that she believed stemmed from people having a 'lot to say' about her. 'Recently, maybe since I turned 15, about two years ago, I just started having really bad panic attacks, like really bad anxiety, and I just struggled with it really bad,' confessed the star. She also reflected on the public scrutiny to Allure, admitting, 'It's really hard to be hated on when you don't know who you are yet.'It's like, "What do they hate about me? 'Cause I don't know who I am"... Then you just start shutting down.'She also confessed to having 'no friends' and admitted that she didn't develop 'the best social skills' because of her massive fame.'I don't have many friends, because of who I am. I didn't go to school, so I don't have the best social skills when it comes to people my own age and friendships,' shared the actress. 'I struggle with that quite a bit. I missed out on a few things. But I'm working through them.' In July 2021, pictures that showed Millie cosying up to TikTok star Hunter Ecimovic leaked on the web. He went on to make a series of explicit claims about her during a livestreamIn July 2021, intimate details of Millie's love life were thrown into the spotlight, leaving her 'publicly humiliated'.At the time, pictures that showed her cosying up to TikTok star Hunter Ecimovic leaked on the web.Hunter, who was 20 years old when they were together, went on to make a series of explicit claims about Millie, who was 16, during a livestream.He confessed to 'grooming' the star and claimed that they had been in a months-long romance the year before that had since ended.A representative for Millie told DailyMail.com afterwards: 'Mr Ecimovic's remarks on social media are not only dishonest, but also are irresponsible, offensive, and hateful.'Instead of engaging in a public discourse with him through the press or on social media, we are taking action to ensure that he stops this behavior once and for all.' While reflecting on the ordeal afterwards to Allure, the Stranger Things alum said she was in an 'unhealthy situation' with Hunter throughout 2020 before she 'walked away' in January 2021.'Walking away and knowing that I'm worth everything and this person didn't take anything from me, it felt very empowering,' she recalled. 'It felt like my life had finally turned a page and that I actually had ended a chapter that felt so f**king long.' But she said that when the images leaked online and he made the shocking comments about her during the livestream months later, it shattered her. 'When you get publicly humiliated this way, I felt so out of control and powerless,' said the star. 'Ultimately, all I wanted to do within my career is help young girls and young people out there know that I, too, go through things. 'I'm not this perfect person that is selling skin-care products and [who is] in Stranger Things. I absolutely have made wrong decisions.' Millie has since found love with Jake, the son of acclaimed musician Jon Bon Jovi. She and the actor and producer started dating in mid-2021 and got engaged in April 2023 Millie has since found love with Jake, the son of acclaimed musician Jon Bon Jovi. She and the actor and producer started dating in mid-2021 and got engaged in April 2023.'After we met, we knew we never wanted to leave each other's side,' she gushed to The Sunday Times in August 2023.'You can't pinpoint why [someone is "the one"], it's just the feeling of knowing that that's the person you want to spend the rest of your time with.'I think so much of life is overthinking. The one thing that made clear sense to me was him. So I didn't really have to do much thinking.'They tied the knot in May 2024 during a 'very low-key, romantic affair with their closest family', The Sun reported at the time.Now, they live together on a sprawling farm in Georgia, where she spends her days tending to sheep, goats, cows, horses and donkeys.She launched her own rescue shelter out of her barn and has been taking online classes in veterinary studies at Purdue University. In August last year, the couple welcomed their first child, a baby girl, via adoption. They have kept her name and face private.They made the announcement via Instagram at the time and wrote: 'This summer, we welcomed our sweet baby girl through adoption.'We are beyond excited to embark on this beautiful next chapter of parenthood in both peace and privacy. 'And then there were three. Love, Millie and Jake Bongiovi.'Earlier this year, Millie also opened up about her future motherhood plans as she revealed that adopting was a dream for her since she was a child.During an appearance on Kylie Kelce's Not Gonna Lie podcast back in June, she said: '[I] always, always wanted to adopt.'It was always part of my childhood dreams. Every time I was at home and I was, you know, five, six years old, my parents were like, "You had your baby dolls. They were all adopted." I never had any of them myself. And I never pretended I was pregnant.'And she clarified that she intends to carry a biological child someday, adding, 'It's not because I don't want that. Hopefully one day that's in my future.'On Thursday, following the news that she and Jake were parents once again, Millie revealed that they have adopted a baby boy.The Stranger Things star shared to her Instagram followers that she is now mom to a son as she wrote in the caption: 'hi little guy!'