Emily Atack: ‘I’ve Surprised Myself With How Tough I Am’

Perfection is not on Emily Atack’s radar, nor will it ever be.

‘We’re all trying to navigate this mental world we’re living in,’ she ponders. ‘It's okay to admit that there is a struggle at times.’

Now 33, Emily was just 18 when she got her big break in smash-hit sitcom The Inbetweeners, where she played ‘It Girl’ Charlotte Hinchcliffe.

With showbiz roots – her mum is actress Kate Robbins and her father Keith Atack was formerly a musician in pop group Child – and a natural talent in front of the camera, a career in the spotlight was inevitable for Emily.

‘I knew that there was no other way for me in my life,’ she says.

But with fame has come a rollercoaster ride, featuring a myriad of highs – reality TV stints, fronting her own comedy series and a longstanding spot on the Celebrity Juice panel, to name a few – and some gruelling lows, including her publicised struggle with online sexual harassment. Her ordeal was recently played out in a brave documentary, Emily Atack: Asking For It, which has received a nod at this year’s NTAs.

Emily is now launching a collaboration with bath and bodycare brands line Soap & Glory, so we caught up with her to chat about why she's reinforcing her advocacy for celebrating flaws, why she is practising self-care for the first time in her life and why the clichéd five-year plan isn't her cup of tea.

As Soap & Glory’s ambassador, what made you want to get involved in the first-ever video content series for the brand?

I was chuffed to bits when they came to me - I didn’t have to think twice. I'm very selective about my brand work because I always want to make sure it's authentic to me. I've loved Soap & Glory my whole life. It's the most nostalgic brand - the stuff you get in your Christmas stocking. Even now, I just love it, especially their Flake Away Body Scrub and Righteous Body Butter.

What were some of the biggest takeaways from the chats you had? Did you learn anything about yourself through other people?

With Ellie [Taylor], we chatted about change in life. Then with Florence Given, we chatted about love and relationships. I also talked to Munroe Bergdorf about social media and the pressures of that too. They are topics that I could chew your ear off about all day. I want the series to be a space where people can watch, relate and say, 'Thank God I'm not the only person that feels that way about change, love or body confidence.' It's just a nice space where you get a load of very successful, wonderful, talented people - I don't include myself in that by the way. I'm 33 now, I'm at an age where I'm practising self-care for the first time in my life. I'm going through changes - in both myself and my love life.

You said you’re practising self-care for the first time in your life, what does that look like?

What I've learned in the last few years especially is that it's the most important thing in the world. At the moment, I don't know if it's because I've got more success than I've ever had, or if there are just big things happening in my life, I feel like I have to be at my best, I have to be in control. I eventually - one day - want to meet someone and have a family and it's realising that you've got to slow it all down and just take some time for you. It's such simple messaging, but it's so important. We're all being told how to do things - 'if you don't do this, then you're not going to get that' and 'you need to be a boss bitch woman but at the same time be humble and be grateful.' Sometimes, you just need to stop and realise what it is you want for your life. I constantly show my imperfections. I constantly say, 'Look, I struggle with this, I struggle with that.' You don't want to live this squeaky-clean image that people just think you're perfect. You've got to be more honest about your flaws - celebrate them. You’ve got to stay true to who you are and not look over your shoulder at what everyone else is doing.

Would you say your experience of self-confidence has changed over the years?

It's always a work in progress. I fly a flag for confidence but what people have to know is that I also struggle massively with it. That's why having all these little routines and looking after yourself is so important.

What would your advice be to anyone going through a low bout of confidence?

Always surround yourself with people that make you feel good and lift you. If I want to feel 100 per cent content, I spend time with my family to take a break from the madness. I'll also lay off the wine for a bit and just take a bit of time for myself.

Can you talk to us a little bit about your coping strategies when it comes to online sexual harassment?

I don't really have one, because that's the awful thing about abuse, there isn't really a coping strategy for it. You just have to go through the shit. When I see a message like that, or someone says something to me in the street, it makes me feel the same every time. It's a horrible, horrible thing. I have therapy, but it never takes away the loneliness, isolation and shame that it makes you feel.

How important is it to keep the conversation going?

It's so important because it's something that gets shoved to the back of the pile. The age of some of these girls that are receiving [explicit] messages like this... I'm trying to nip it in the bud quicker so that it prevents them from being damaged by it. When I did the documentary and I started writing articles and talking about it, the support was incredible. It does slightly drown out the negativity. But for example, on a picture of me in a dress the other day - I was completely clothed - people were writing, 'Well, what do you expect if you post seductive photos?' I don't understand what more I need to do. It just shows that you can't change who you are, because even if you do try and be a bit more conservative, people still say that you're being overly seductive and sexual anyway. It made me so angry. But the one good thing is, you get your army of girls that come out and tell them all to fuck off.

What about your career – have you ever suffered from imposter syndrome?

When I was young and I first started out on The Inbetweeners, I was so fearless. I really felt like I had earned my right to be there. I used to hear the phrase 'impostor syndrome' all the time and think, 'I don't know what that is.' I was so honest about the fact I felt like I deserved to be there, that I was in the right place at the right time and I worked very hard. It's more in recent years that I'm going, 'Bloody hell. Holy shit. This is a huge kind of responsibility here.' But I'm so lucky - the way everything's been going is just incredible. But it could all disappear tomorrow, so I'm just enjoying every minute of it. I try not to look too far into the future. I don't have a five-year plan. My only plan is to be happy.

Is there anything you wish you’d been more prepared for, coming into the limelight?

To be honest, I was the girl that everybody bloody talked about at school. I was the girl that everyone wrote about on the toilet walls and spread rumours about. People were very judgmental about how I looked - I was very tall and blonde, I wore lots of makeup and girls didn't really do that then. I was very different, I knew I was very different. I had a bit of a rough time at school so I think that prepared me because the industry I'm in is a very tricky rollercoaster. I'm tougher than I think sometimes. I've surprised myself with how tough I am because I'm a very emotional person and I wear my heart on my sleeve, but I've realised that it doesn't mean that you're weak. I think I have always been tough because I had to be from such a young age.

What would you go back and tell your younger self?

Life is very difficult and it doesn't get easier, so strap in. There's going to be all the things that you want to do in life, there's going to be a lot of scrutiny and you're going to be under a lot of pressure, but you are stronger than you realise. So just keep going, you've got to keep going. Oh, and don’t let boys be mean to you! Sadly, I’ve never taken that advice.

What else does this year have in store? Can you give any teasers?

I'm back into acting again, which is exactly what I wanted to do this year, so I'm so happy with that. I'm filming for Disney+ at the moment - an eight-part series called Rivals which is based on the Jilly Cooper novel. It's a huge cast featuring names such as David Tennant, Aidan Turner and Danny Dyer. I'm filming it in Bristol - it's a great city - and half-living there. My main focus is on that and all of my wonderful Soap & Glory photoshoots and the fun things that I've got coming up with them.

Episode one of Soap & Glory’s Soaking Up Life with Emily Atack is available to watch now on www.youtube.com/soapglory and Spotify, with new episodes landing every Wednesday.