Lena Dunham celebrates 33rd birthday with Brad Pitt at fundraiser and finally says she is 'happy'

Lena Dunham has celebrated her 33^rd birthday with a legion of celebrity friends at a fundraiser and revealed she is finally “happy”.

On Monday, the 33-year-old posted several images to Instagram from the fundraiser which was raising money for the Peggy Albrecht Friendly House – the first recovery home for women who have suffered from drug and alcohol abuse in the US.

The images see Dunham smiling alongside A-listers including actor Brad Pitt, models Tess Holliday and Hari Nef, as well as actor Rumer Willis in the garden of a Los Angeles home.

“I may own a birthday b*tch hat, but IRL I’m no big birthday b*tch,” the Girls star and co-creator wrote in photos’ caption.

Dunham continued to explain how she has cancelled several birthday parties over the years at the last minute as she “used to think there was something a bit unseemly about an adult leaning into their birthday”.

However, her perception of birthday celebrations changed when she realised she was “actually just jealous of the confidence and self-love it takes to say ‘it’s my day, people”’.

She added: “I often felt I was making up for some original sin and that the nicest thing I could do for others on my birthday was make myself as unobtrusive as possible (it never worked and I usually either barfed or cried.) But this year is different.”

“This year I’m... wait for it... happy. And so grateful for where I am, who I am, and everyone who has helped me on my journey to health & sobriety. 32 was good to me, and for 33 I wanted to say a big old thank you [sic]

Dunham concluded the post by raising awareness of the Peggy Albrecht Friendly House, revealing she has started a scholarship fund for women “who are determined to recover but don’t have the financial means to begin”.

This isn’t the first time the star has opened up about learning self-love.

In February, Dunham shared an empowering post on Instagram about self-acceptance, saying she's the "happiest" she's ever felt.

Sharing a photograph of herself lying on a bed in black lingerie, the star explained in the caption how she has often gone through life feeling as though she's "too much" for others, in many respects of the word.

"I’ve spent a lot of time in this life feeling like too much. Too hungry. Too anxious. Too loud. Too needy. Too sick. Too dramatic. Too honest. Too sexy (jk lol.) [sic]," she wrote.

She later added: “"At 32: I weigh the most I ever have. I love the most I ever have. I read and write and laugh the most I ever have. And I’m the happiest I’ve ever been."

The actor has had a tumultuous couple of years following a high-profile break-up from ex-boyfriend singer Jack Antonoff and undergoing a hysterectomy, the removal of her left ovary, and suffering from fibromyalgia – a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body.

In March, Dunham wrote an article for The New York Times in which she opened up about the importance of feeling cosy amid suffering from chronic pain.

“Cosy is my religion,” she writes. “There are few things in life I take as seriously as the cultivation and preservation of comfort.”