Rita Ora has a special bond with her husband Taika Waititi’s two daughters from a previous relationship.
“It is so fun. I just have the best time with them,” Ora, 34, said on the Thursday, June 26, episode of the “Begin Again With Davina McCall” podcast. “I’m, like, the fairy godmother [who] gives them all the sugar and all the ice cream, and then sends them back, and their mother, who I love dearly, is like, ‘They’re bouncing off the walls.’”
She added, “I think that’s the fun part of being a stepmom, like, you can do those naughty things. I take them out, and I took them to an Ed Sheeran concert. They met Ed Sheeran, like, I was giving it all to these kids!”
Ora tied the knot with Waititi, 49, in August 2022. The Oscar-winning director was previously married to film producer Chelsea Winstanley, with whom he shares daughters Te Hinekahu and Matewa Kiritapu.
“I cared about making them comfortable and safe,” Ora said. “I wanted them to feel safe around me. I love my partner so much, so it was just about creating a great environment for these kids to thrive, and now one’s a teenager and she’s got her phone. We’re, like, texting. It’s so cool and she’s like, ‘Hey, miss you.’ I’m like, ‘Hey, girl, miss you too.’ It’s such a healthy [relationship].”
The pop star continued, “I’m very lucky. I’ve got great stepkids, like, these girls are just the coolest kids ever.”
Ora further noted that she respects Winstanley, 49, letting her come into Te Hinekahu and Matewa Kiritapu’s lives.
“I appreciate it, and to have that space to let me hang out with her kids,” Ora said. “I mean, I didn’t get a book. There was no one teaching me how to be a stepmom, but there’s a lot you’re navigating. You, as a stepmom, what does that mean? You with the kids. You with the mother, [and] understanding the dynamic. I’m not a professional, but I definitely feel like I was lucky and I did it the right way.”
According to Ora, stepmotherhood is especially fulfilling when Waititi’s daughters “just give [her] that one hug.”
Ora also got candid about whether she and Waititi would expand their family further.
“I want to do a lot more movies. I love film, and I think my husband’s really become a big part of that for me,” Ora said of her future dreams. “More movies, a lovely, great album, a great tour, and then maybe a family. We’ll see how we feel.”
Ora noted that she “wants to time it right.”
“Everyone tells me, ‘You can’t time these things,’” the Descendants: Rise of Red actress said, noting a future baby “deserves [her] time.”
She added, “I haven’t really thought about it, that’s the trust. I’ve been so focused on working, but my mother recently reminded me, and I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I think when the time is right.’ But it’s something that I can see happening.”
