SHE is one of the most open and honest celebrities around – but Emily Atack has been keeping a painful secret.
The Inbetweeners and Rivals actress has revealed for the first time that she was sexually abused at the age of ten and
Emily Atack has shed light on her relationship with her step-cousin Credit: @agentprovocateur
Eyebrows were raised when news of Emily’s relationship with nuclear physicist Alistair Garner came to light in 2022 Credit: Instagram
In her most personal interview to date, , 36, shared harrowing details of her tough childhood as a “troubled” teenager, which left her “scarred” and “traumatised”.
The TV beauty, who became a household name as Charlotte Hinchcliffe in comedy The Inbetweeners at 17, was in an abusive relationship when she found out she was pregnant.
“I’ve never actually told anybody this, but I was pregnant,” she said. “I was very young and I was in this awful, abusive, horrible relationship and I fell pregnant.
“And it was just in the middle of all this kind of stuff going on with my mum and dad.
“I’ve never spoken openly about how or what happened.
“And I don’t know if I’m ready to yet. But obviously, that pregnancy didn’t continue.”
In another heartbreaking revelation, Emily also told that , which sparked an “unhealthy relationship with sex and boys”.
And she explained how being the subject of unwanted attention by creepy older men had a knock-on effect with her relationships.
Mum Emily with son Barney, who turns two next month Credit: Instagram
Actress Emily reveals how, for the first time in her career, she has felt a particular trust given to her in her Rivals role
“I was keeping so much from my parents when I was young,” Emily said. “It’s going a little bit dark, but I was sexually assaulted first of all when I was ten.
“That was when I was first ever sexually assaulted. And from that moment, I was treated badly, appallingly, by older men from that age throughout my life. I think the loneliness came a lot from that.
“Lots of things happened that my parents to this day still don’t know the detail of, how men have treated me and touched me and whispered things to me in my ear when people aren’t in earshot.
“From that, I then developed a really unhealthy relationship with sex and with boys, because I leaned into that behaviour a little bit.”
Bubbly girl-next-door Emily became a pin-up after her portrayal of schoolgirl from 2008 and was a lads’ mag favourite thanks to her racy shoots.
An open book throughout her near 20-year career, , from online abuse targeting her weight to being oversexualised.
She shared some of her experiences in 2023 documentary Emily Atack: Asking For It?, including attracting unwanted sexual attention from a young age.
Explaining her struggles to Elizabeth Day on her How To Fail podcast, Emily admitted she went off the rails as a teenager when her parents’ marriage fell apart.
Her mum — actress, singer and comic Kate Robbins — broke up with musician dad Keith Atack in 2007.
“People underestimate ,” said Emily. “When I was 16, my mum and dad split up. They’re great friends now and it’s all fine.
“But at the time, it was really awful and my brother was only 13 and sister Martha was 15.
“And my mum, God love her, she couldn’t cope. It was really, really difficult.
Emily famously palyed naked tennis in an episode of TV series Rivals Credit: Planet Photos
Emily as Charlotte ‘Big Jugs’ Hinchcliffe in The Inbetweeners Credit: Handout
“My dad had moved out of the family home. And my mum decided she needed to get away for a while. So Martha and I moved into a flat together.
“And my brother George went to live with my aunt and uncle. It sounds awful.
“I tread very carefully because my parents are amazing, beautiful, wonderful people who loved us so much.
“But this was a very difficult time. As a mother now and as an adult, I get it now. I was very angry at the time. It was all very scary and very awful because I was such a troubled teen.”
“It’s funny, my heart races when I think about being 16.
“I was a very and I find that very difficult to talk about because I was such a loved child and we were encouraged to be creative and we were so privileged in so many ways.
“But there were a lot of things that went on in my childhood that really scarred me and have traumatised me, really.”
Emily says her parents did not know how to handle her as she rebelled against the chaos.
Turning to the “wrong crowds”, she said she was sexually active with older boys and men.
Emily added: “That was very difficult for my parents,”
Now a happy mum of one, Emily is , in September
He had been a family friend for years, but eyebrows were raised when news of their relationship came to light in 2022, with some reports calling him her cousin.
In fact,, with Emily’s aunty having been married to Alistair’s late dad and being Alistair’s stepmum.
Emily admits it was a bit weird to begin with but says they could not deny the attraction. She added: “He’s so cool, and he is a very key ingredient in all of this, and he ties my life up in a bow at the end.
“It’s an interesting story with Al and I, because we’ve known each other for 30 years.
“I remember meeting him when I was very young. I think I was about five years old.
Emily is now winning plaudits for her scene-stealing performances in Rivals Credit: Splash
She credits the show with changing her life Credit: Getty
“That might sound strange to some people, but we were just kids then, and we would just play together.
“We reconnected as adults, but going, ‘, and it is a bit confusing and a bit odd, but we really fancy each other’.
“Then we were going, ‘Yeah, but we’re not allowed to fancy each other because my aunty is married to your dad. It’s weird’. There was all that back and forth, but we couldn’t help it. We’re not born related.”
turns two next month, and Emily said: “I’ve never seen anyone look at me the way Barney looks at me.
“It’s so special and magic. The irony is that I have had people objectifying me my whole life and looking at me in a certain way, whether it’s the male gaze, men looking at me in a certain way or it’s people judging me or whatever.
“Barney just looks at me in this pure, non-egotistical, non-salacious, beautiful way that I’ll never see on anyone ever.
“It’s really amazing, healing. This male gaze that is so accepting and loving without question.” As well as being in a blissful family bubble, Emily is also enjoying a purple patch in her telly career.
She is winning plaudits for her scene-stealing performances as saucy Sarah Stratton in Disney+ hit Rivals, fronting game show Nobody’s Fool with and this month she was announced as part of new BBC legal drama Reputation.
She credits , based on , with changing her life.
She said: “I think the reason why Sarah Stratton means so much to me is because it’s the first time in my life I’ve been given lovely opportunities and roles.
“I am so grateful to s and other jobs along the way that have really put me up the ladder a little bit, but I do feel with Rivals there is a particular trust that they have with me that nobody has ever had with me before, which is they believe I can do it.
“And that has taken me 20 years almost. I’ve jumped through so many hoops.
“Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m talking from a white, privileged position, but I have had snobbery over the years.
“People have been very snooty towards me because of the fact I’ve got blonde hair, boobs, posed in lads’ mags, I wear fake tan, eyelashes.
“I’ve always got a dodgy, situation going on.
“But Rivals is just allowing me to go in and do my job — and do it well.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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