MUM KNOW'S BEST: Vera Ora
One of London’s leading psychiatrists, fashion fanatic and mother to an international popstar, Vera Ora takes time out of her busy life to talk to Michael Keohane about mental health and family values in this issue’s ‘Mum Knows Best.’
Surrounded by an array of pink roses decoratively placed across the Instagram famous walls of ÈLAN Café, Knightsbridge, Vera Ora looks a vision as she sits down with me to discuss life, family and mental health.
Immaculately dressed in all-black attire accessorized with a welcoming smile, Ora radiates a sense of warmth as she greets me. “I’ve just finished work, so I do apologise for the rush” she says, leaving me quite bewildered as to how one can look so pristine after running a morning perinatal mental health clinic.
It’s been a busy few years for Vera, who now heads up the NHS’ commitment to provide adequate and professional mental health aid to pregnant young women. “It is just so important to ensure that the possibility of complications during the pregnancy are minimised as early as possible and making sure that women from all backgrounds feel supported in such a scary time” she explains.
Is social media making us unsociable?
Mental Health has been a big part of the majority of Vera’s adult life, not only working in the field but also acting as an advocate on social media. “The young generation face so much stress in their lives, it’s no wonder they turn to drug use or excessive use of video games and social media.”
Ora describes how she fears the outlets that young people use as an escapism from mental health issues may in fact be the precursor to further mental health issues. “People don’t realise that recreational drug usage is linked to serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or that spending too much time online just leads to poor social development.”
Vera encourages having a part time job as an outlet to further your social skills and avoid everyday stress. “Working in something like hospitality means you work directly with people whilst having incentives like tips to ensure you keep to a standard of social etiquette. My son has a part time job- it’s really healthy!”
Originally practising psychiatry in her native Kosovo, Vera was forced to flee with her husband and daughters Elena and Rita due to the civil war. With little to no grasp of the English language and the inability to work as psychiatrist in the UK, she was set the immensely difficult task to learn the language and retrain in her career whilst maintaining a stable family unit.
“Initially I just focused on learning the language which gave me a lot of time to spend at home with the children. That was when I had Don” Vera tells me, referring to the birth of her youngest child and only son Don.
New Beginnings
Living in a small council flat in the Ladbroke Grove area, the family faced financial difficulties throughout their early years in London, with Vera forced to stay home and raise her daughters whilst husband Nick was working predominately on a shift basis in local pubs.
Despite facing a number of personal hurdles Vera still remains positive in her outlook of the situation; “I am glad I had that time with my children to watch them grow up and ensure they had good values. I wanted them to be good people.”
Following years of hard work, Vera eventually qualified to practice psychiatry in the UK whilst her husband took over a pub in the Notting Hill area. It was here that her youngest daughter Rita utilised a passion for singing by entertaining the punters from the age of 14.
Singing classics from some of the world’s biggest divas, Rita grew in popularity around the South West London area and attended the Sylvia Young Performing Arts School. Here Ora was offered a number of record and publishing deals from the tender age of 16 years old.
“At first, I was reluctant to let Rita sign into any contracts when she was younger, I wanted her to experience life as a teenager more and I also was scared to let her enter a busy I knew would be very tough on her. I wanted her to wait until she was an adult and could make the decision for herself.”
Despite not being able to formerly sign a record deal, Rita performed alongside pop giants Craig David and James Morrison in their shows in London before she caught the eye of A&R reps from America.
I miss having the privacy to do simple mother-daughter things.
Life in the Ora household took a complete overhaul as daughter Rita gained a record deal at music giant Jay-Z’s label RocNation at the age of 18. Within years Rita had amassed a large and dedicated fan base and a string of UK Number One hit singles under her belt. The Ora surname catapulted into a household name across the world.
A singer, actress, model and designer, Rita proved to be a jack of all trades and built a global brand that is internationally renowned and celebrated. The family also was honoured when Rita was named the UK’s ambassador for Kosovo, showing clear ties with her native country despite its rocky history.
“It’s amazing, but sometimes I miss having the privacy to do simple mother-daughter things like go shopping or go for lunch without having to worry about Rita being mobbed.” Despite obviously being proud of her daughter’s success, Vera gives context on the price of fame.
“It’s so important to me that people remember I am not just Rita’s mum, I also have Elena and Don and I love them all equally.” Vera says of her music managing daughter and Business student son. “I imagine it is hard for them to have a sibling in the public eye but they are used to it and are all very close.”
Ora encapsulates strong family values with her professional knowledge on mental health to ensure her children are healthy, happy and supported at all times.
Most people would call her an anomaly, but to her three beloved children ‘Mum’ simply suffices.