Emily Atack has opened up about a harrowing health scare following the birth of her son Barney in 2024 — revealing she suffered sepsis and couldn’t leave the house for weeks. The Rivals star, 36, shared how the traumatic experience contributed to her slimmer appearance and reflected on the relentless scrutiny women face over their post-pregnancy bodies.
Speaking to Grazia magazine, Emily said:
“I was trolled for being enormous when I was pregnant and I’m now trolled for having lost weight. My body holds all my trauma as well as my happiness and joy. I went through a very difficult pregnancy. I was very ill after the birth. I had sepsis, I couldn’t leave the house for weeks. It was awful.”
The actress addressed rumours surrounding her recent weight loss, emphasizing that women’s bodies change constantly and asking for patience and understanding:
“I’m so done with defending it. Women’s bodies go through so much, and after giving birth you look at your body as a completely different vessel.”
Emily also reflected on the pressure new mothers face to “bounce back” immediately after childbirth:
“Being pregnant and desexualized, creating a human, giving birth — and the first thing people ask is, when are you going to get back in the gym? Are you kidding? I’ve just created a human!”
She revealed that, despite the trolling and scrutiny, she is doing much better health-wise and looking forward to marrying fiancé Alistair Garner in September.
Emily also spoke about her early experiences with body comments in her breakout role as Charlotte Hinchcliffe in The Inbetweeners:
“Everybody started talking about my weight. There was even a Facebook page dedicated to it. I was a size eight — a tiny body — but suddenly people thought it was the first time they’d seen a girl who wasn’t underweight. It was awful.”
Through all the challenges, Emily’s message is clear: her journey as a mother and her health are her own, and she refuses to let online trolls define her.
