‘Surely Sarah Stratton hasn’t lost her cleavage!’: As Rivals fans are divided by ‘body positive’ Emily Atack’s slimmed-down new look, one sums up the feelings of many

Emily Atack truly embraced her reputation as a fun-loving socialite after an awards show, throwing a lively after-party. Instead of letting the night end, she invited a group of celebrities and journalists back to her hotel suite at the Marriott in St John’s Wood, London, and made sure there was plenty of alcohol to keep the party going late into the night.

Gary Lineker’s eldest son, George, was also at the party after the Who Cares Wins awards in September 2023. According to sources, Emily – who looked beautiful in a bright pink dress – quickly became friendly with the entrepreneur.

People who were at the party that night said it got really lively, and Emily, true to form, was the center of attention.

Just a year before, Emily was rumored to have been romantically connected to soccer player Jack Grealish. Although Jack was already in a relationship with his current fiancee, Sasha Atwood, reports claimed they had been texting each other, even though they never actually met.

Emily’s team was leaking information to the press about their conversations, and she seemed to be relishing the resulting publicity. She also appeared pleased to take over from Holly Willoughby as a panelist on the ITV2 show Celebrity Juice, where the host, Keith Lemon (comedian Leigh Francis in disguise), frequently commented on her figure.

Things are very different now. Friends say Emily, who is 36, has left her more carefree lifestyle behind and completely changed her life.

People who know her say she’s become more sophisticated, much like her character, Sarah Stratton, from the popular Disney+ series, Rivals.

Becoming a mother and finding love seem to have softened her. She and her scientist fiancé, Alistair Garner, welcomed their son, Barney, in June 2024. The couple have been together since 2023.

After leaving the Paul Edmonds salon in Battersea Power Station on Friday, people commented that she looked ‘effortlessly chic’ with a new, shorter haircut and a noticeably slimmer figure.

She wasn’t showing any skin, wearing a stylish outfit that included a brown jacket, jeans, knee-high brown boots, and a scarf similar to those made by Burberry.

Viewers familiar with her role in the Jilly Cooper series – particularly the memorable scene involving a nude tennis match and a quick attempt to cover up – might hardly recognize her now.

According to a close source, Emily has changed a lot over the years. Now in her late 30s, she’s embraced a healthier lifestyle and has become much slimmer. People think she looks fantastic! While she used to be a frequent partygoer, she’s now a happy mother and in a committed relationship.

She used to be known as a carefree, independent woman, but she’s completely changed her image and is loving her new, more sophisticated style.

Okay, so Emily posted some Christmas photos on Instagram, and honestly, I was a little worried at first! People were talking about how different she looked, and it kind of freaked me out. But then I saw the pictures, and wow! She looks amazing. She’s clearly been working on herself, and she’s showing off her weight loss – she looked incredible in that satin skirt and top, and even just in jeans and a T-shirt! I’m so proud of her, and honestly, she’s never looked better.

People were quick to compliment her appearance, calling her ‘gorgeous.’ However, some worried she’d lost a significant amount of weight, and rumors spread that she might be using weight-loss injections. One person on social media joked about these injections, while another directly asked if she was using a medication called Mounjaro.

Emily hasn’t spoken publicly about the situation, and people close to her don’t expect her to. A friend explained that she carefully chooses when to get involved and prefers to stay out of things that don’t directly concern her.

It’s easy to see why people are commenting – Emily became well-known because of her figure and her enthusiastic support of body positivity.

She became well-known in the late 2000s for her role as Charlotte Hinchcliffe in the British comedy series The Inbetweeners. The show, which followed teenagers navigating school life, featured her character wearing revealing clothing and receiving a lot of attention from boys.

In today’s more politically-correct climate, it all feels rather uncomfortable.

Emily has stated before that she didn’t intend for her character, Charlotte, to be seen as a sex symbol, and believes that’s only how she’s perceived due to the way some people view things.

Last year, Emily – whose mother is comedian Kate Robbins – described how people misinterpreted her role as a schoolgirl. She explained that viewers focused on her appearance – blonde hair and uniform – and wrongly assumed she was playing a seductive character, when she was simply portraying a student.

A friend of Emily’s explained that she wants to move past her past and the nickname she disliked – she’s leaving the ‘Charlotte “Big Jugs”’ persona behind.

She unfortunately faced unwanted sexual attention when she was very young, both in her personal life and as a result of her on-screen persona. This reputation as a sex symbol has unfairly followed her throughout her career.

Even though Emily has changed her appearance, some people might criticize her, calling her a hypocrite. This is because she used to speak openly about accepting and loving her body after struggling with self-doubt for a long time.

She recently spoke about the attention she received after appearing in The Inbetweeners, recalling how people began focusing on her weight. She was shocked and upset by a Facebook page created about her, specifically targeting her appearance as Charlotte Hinchcliffe.

People tried to find the bright side, pointing out that television was finally showing more women with diverse body types in glamorous roles. It was surprising, because I hadn’t even thought of myself as having curves!

Now that she’s lost weight, a friend questioned if that goes against the idea of body positivity, suggesting it’s about accepting yourself as you are.

I’m so excited to see Emily back for the second series of Rivals! But I’ve been hearing chatter from people in the industry, and they’re a bit puzzled about how the show will handle her character now that Emily’s lost weight. Her character was always known for being, well, very curvy, so it’ll be interesting to see how they adapt things!

One source commented, seemingly shocked, “There’s no way someone as attractive as Sarah Stratton could have lost her figure—it just wouldn’t make sense!”

Read More

2026-01-11 04:04