Who is Emily Atack? Meet Rivals star who plays Sarah Stratton

Starring as the opportunistic Sarah Stratton, though, is Emily Atack who has opened up about the way the series understands "complex women".

She told RadioTimes.com exclusively: "That’s my favourite thing about Rivals, is the women, obviously. You’ve got these amazing, strong men at the helm of it, but yeah, as it unravels, you really understand these complex women."

Atack, who is known for various TV roles and reality show appearances over the years, stars in the series as the new, younger wife of deputy prime minister Paul Stratton (Rufus Jones) and strives to be in the limelight at the helm of her very own talkshow one day.

But where have you seen Atack previously? Read on to find out.

Who is Emily Atack?

Emily Atack is an English actress, comedian and television personality, best known for her roles in The Inbetweeners, as well as reality shows like Dancing on Ice and I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, Atack is the daughter of actress Kate Robbins (Crossroads) and pop group Child musician Keith Atack.

It has been reported that, through her mother's side of the family, Atack is actually the first cousin twice removed of The Beatles legend Paul McCartney.

Aside from her acting career, Atack has hosted her own show, The Emily Atack Show, as well as appeared on Celebrity Juice and helmed her own BBC documentary about cyberflashing and sexual harassment, Emily Atack: Asking For It?.

How old is Emily Atack?

The actress is 34 at the time of writing.

What has Emily Atack previously starred in?

Atack is known for her roles in E4's The Inbetweeners as Charlotte Hinchlife, Dad's Army as Daphne, Almost Never and Rock and Chips.

She has also been a contestant on ITV's Dancing on Ice and was the youngest participant in the show's history, having signed up at the age of 19.

Atack also appeared on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2018, coming second to Harry Redknapp.

She has also starred in various Keith Lemon shows like Lemon La Vida Loca, The Keith Lemon Sketch Show and The Keith & Paddy Picture Show, as well as Celebrity Juice with Lemon himself and Laura Whitmore.

What has Emily Atack said about starring in Rivals?

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com about what she loved about starring in Rivals, Atack said: "To write women in a flawed way like this, especially with Sarah Stratton, I think it’s a way more modern thing to do.

"It used to be that the women had to be a certain way and written a certain way, people didn’t dare to celebrate women like Sarah Stratton. But yeah, I think it’s really interesting, and it’s so fun to play a character like that."

Atack continued: "She uses her sexuality to get the things she wants in the beginning, and towards the end, you kind of understand why she feels like she has no choice but to do that.

"So, a character like Sarah, who could’ve so easily been written as unlikeable, I wanted to... hopefully I’ve made her quite fun and funny.

"It’s just great taking these women and picking them apart and writing them as these flawed individuals and just going, well, it was a time where women maybe had to use their sexuality to get the things that they wanted. You sort of come away from it going, how far have we come in the world?"

Is Emily Atack on Instagram?

Yes! You can find her on Instagram at @emilyatack.

Is Emily Atack on X?

The actress is on X, you can find her @ematack.

Rivals is now streaming on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus now for £4.99 per month or £79.90 for a full year.

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