Emily Atack says she was ‘very ill’ with sepsis after birth of first child
By Carla Feric, Press Association Entertainment Reporter
Rivals star Emily Atack has revealed that she was “very ill” and suffered from sepsis after giving birth to her first child.
The 36-year-old also said she is “so done” speaking about her weight, admitting that she has been “trolled” for her size during her pregnancy and for her dramatic weight loss after, which was caused by the illness.
Atack, who rose to fame aged 17 in The Inbetweeners, has previously spoke about how the attention from the role led to comments on her weight and has often criticised the public standards placed on women’s bodies.
In an interview with Grazia Magazine, the star opened up about how in recent years she has received negative comments online regarding her weight, particularly since the birth of her son – Barney James Garner – in 2024.
Atack said: “I was trolled for being enormous even 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.”
The actress continued: “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.
“So I’m just asking people for a little bit of patience and understanding at such a complex thing. Women’s bodies change all the time.
“I am so done with defending it.”
Atack has previously said her role as Charlotte “Big Jugs” Hinchcliffe in Channel 4 comedy The Inbetweeners resulted in unwanted attention, and has been outspoken about receiving sexual harassment online and in the press.
The star also explored her experiences in the public eye in BBC documentary Asking For It? in 2023, which she described as “one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life”.
She said: “My whole life I’ve been told, ‘Well, you’re asking for that kind of attention. Look at the way you dress’.
“But the shame should not be on us and we are only just starting to see a shift in opinion.
“You have to accept a lot of things that you’ve put in a box in your mind over the years and told yourself were acceptable.
“And then as you’re unravelling those, you’re like: actually, a lot of my life has been a lie. Certain things haven’t been okay. But I think it helped a lot of people, and that was the aim.”
Atack currently stars as the raunchy Sarah Stratton in award-winning Disney+ show Rivals, which follows the high-stakes world of British television with the backdrop of the 1980s Cotswolds countryside.
The actress is also known for her stand-up comedy, having headlined sketch and stand-up series The Emily Atack Show and has also frequently collaborated with fellow comic Leigh Francis.