Gwyneth Paltrow has paid tribute to her “brilliant and hardworking” daughter as she turned 17 on Friday (14.05.21).

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow

The 48-year-old actress took to Instagram to mark Apple Martin’s birthday with a sweet tribute in which she said she “respects” and “admires” her daughter.

Gwyneth – who has Apple, as well as 15-year-old Moses, with her ex-husband Chris Martin – wrote on social media: “Can it be? 17 today?? My sweetest girl... YOU ARE MY LIFE! You make me belly laugh every day. You are brilliant and hardworking. You are fully YOU which I respect and admire so much. I wish I had had even a spoonful of the self-acceptance you have when I was your age. You are so inspiring and just so cool. I remember the morning you came into the world so perfectly, I just can’t believe it was 17 years ago. Happy birthday, my angel. (sic)”

Meanwhile, Gwyneth recently urged mothers to be supportive of one another and not judge each other for the parenting decisions they make.

She said: "I think as mothers, we have to really be careful not to judge other mothers in their process and in their decisions, and we have to be supportive of each other. It's so important to understand that all moms are doing their best."

The ‘Shakespeare in Love’ star is also stepmother to her husband Brad Falchuk’s children, and previously said she’s found the new task to be an “interesting challenge".

She explained: "I have two beautiful stepchildren, who are the same age as mine.

"When I became a stepmother, when I knew I was going to become a stepmother, I was like, 'S***, I have no idea how to do this. There's nothing to read.

"What do I do? Where do I step in? Where do I not? How do I do this?' It's been a really interesting challenge for me and I love them and I've learned so much about myself through the process."