Shock confession: ‘I let my girl, 14, booze and have sex’

Originally published 2 Nov 2010;

Teenager Sophie Watson proudly claims that all her friends wish her mum, Joy, was their mum.

It’s not difficult to see why when Joy allows her daughter to drink alcohol at home, go out clubbing at weekends and has put her on the Pill knowing she has sex with boys – despite Sophie being just 14.

In August, Closer revealed that Joy had allowed teen beauty queen Sophie to have permanent make-up tattooed on her face after being inspired by her idol Jordan.

When challenged about allowing her to do so, Joy said: 'Once she gets an idea in her head there’s no stopping her.'

Only child Sophie says she’s determined to become famous and in a bid to teach her 'how to look after herself,' Joy has granted her 'more freedom than other girls' – which Sophie has embraced by going out drinking and sleeping with four different boys.

Shockingly, Joy, 38, from County Durham says: 'Yes, Sophie drinks at home, and I laughed when she once grumbled she’d had a crap shag – but that doesn’t mean I’m an irresponsible mum.'

Joy did draw the line recently when she came home to find Sophie in bed with a boy and a girl around the same age.

Sophie claims she only had sex with the boy. 'I made it clear I wouldn’t tolerate that behaviour under my roof'' says Joy, who’s a single mum, after splitting from her husband earlier this year.

Sophie, who is currently dating a 17-year-old musician, says: 'All my friends want my mum to be their mum, because I’m allowed to do loads of stuff. I’ll go out on a Thursday night and mum won’t really see me again until Sunday.'

Joy claims: 'She’s very mature and she acts within the boundaries I set. I always know where she is and she never lies so I believe that makes her safe. If she went against that I’d ground her.

'She’s not running wild, I condone her behaviour and I believe I’m being the best mum I can. People may criticise me but not to my face.”

Joy, who teaches beauty therapy, says Sophie was well behaved as a child.

'She won a music scholarship to study at a private school. But in February she started getting into trouble for texting in class and flouting uniform and make-up rules,' says Joy.

Amazingly, soon afterwards Joy supported Sophie’s decision to leave school and start singing in pubs in a bid to launch her music career. The pubs have no idea she’s underage.

Since then, Sophie has started drinking regularly. She brags: 'I used to drink five to eight pints of lager on a night out but now I’ll share a litre of vodka with a friend a couple of times a week.'

This is more than three times the recommended weekly limit for women.

But despite the possible health risks, Joy, who says she home schools her daughter, isn’t concerned: 'A few months ago she was drinking at home and threw up in the sink. She took a photo of it and put it on Facebook, then got changed and went to a party. I wasn’t shocked, she can look after herself.'

In April, Joy took Sophie to get the contraceptive pill.

'She suggested it and it seemed sensible,' says Joy. 'She lost her virginity a week after her 14th birthday with a boy she’d been seeing. I’d rather she was safe than sorry.

'To my knowledge she’s slept with about four boys since she turned 14, which isn’t too many and she uses condoms.

A girl she knows is 13 and has slept with 20. Sophie’s known all the boys she’s slept with, they haven’t just been ‘pick ups’ in clubs.'

Meanwhile Joy says she’ll carry on giving Sophie free rein in a bid to help her find fame.

Joy says: 'She’s got a manager and may do the soundtrack for a film starring Jaime Winstone. She’s got something lined up with Lisa Mafia, and she might be collaborating with a big rap star.

'To succeed she needs to grab every opportunity. She’d never forgive me if I made her wait a couple of years for her chance to be famous and then no one was interested.'