But the 34-year-old has become “increasingly resilient” while carving out space for herself in the public eye, a body language expert has said.
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Now expecting her third child with Peter, 51, she has flourished in her role as step-mum to the children from his high-profile marriage with Katie Price.
“When Emily MacDonagh married Pete, he came with a very dodgy dowry that could easily have overwhelmed his young wife and put too much of a strain on their marriage,” Judi James says.
“As well as Pete and his three children – Harvey, Junior and Princess – came the paparazzi, the red-carpet outings and, of course, the noisy, lurking presence of his ex-wife Katie.
“Emily inherited fame by association – but from an understandably tentative and reluctant-looking start, her body language has defined her increasingly as a resilient, confident and determined woman.”
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The pair, who have been married for eight years, met after Peter became pals with Emily’s dad Ruaraidh, a urology consultant known as Ru, who performed surgery on him to remove kidney stones in 2010.
She was a student doctor training to work in the NHS at the time, and the pair later went public with their relationship in 2012.
Over the years, Emily has transformed herself from a shy pop star’s girlfriend to a family-first mum who is comfortable with celebrity life.
Fabulous enlisted the help of body language expert Judi to decode just how this transformation came about…
Humble Beginnings
Before becoming a celebrity, Emily was a medical student focused on her studies and career.
But soon enough, she was getting papped with her new beau – and Judi believes it wasn’t always welcome attention.
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“Her body language suggests she’d prefer the cameras to focus on her husband,” she analyses.
“Walking slightly behind him dressed in a low-key black outfit, Emily holds onto the strap of her bag with one hand and Pete with the other.
“Her smile looks polite but her facial expression suggests she doesn’t feel that she really belongs to this world.”
According to Judi, Peter made effort to settle Emily’s nerves with a “tight and protective” hand, using his body as a “partial shield that allowed him to showboat for the press cameras at the same time”.
Red Carpet Chaos
Emily made her red carpet debut with Peter in 2012 for the Pride of Britain awards and described the experience as “overwhelming”.
The 16-year age gap between the couple meant that Peter had the experience and wisdom to support her through life in the public eye.
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And by 2015, Emily was attending public appearances with “a sense of inner calm”, Judi says.
In the above picture, she was 24 years old and keen to “direct attention towards her husband”, suggesting “some anxiety about being in the spotlight herself”.
“Emily’s body language here is similar to a royal engagement pose, with the perfect, serene smile but the look of subtle submission to the higher-status husband,” Judi says.
Family First
Emily and Peter welcomed their first child, a daughter named Amelia, in January 2014.
And while the medical student had just about managed to find her feet in front of the flashing lights, she now had her daughter to think about too.
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“Emily seems to show all her inner disquiet about the camera attention here as she carries her baby in a way that signals actual fear and a strong desire to protect,” Judi analyses.
“Clutching her baby to her torso with one hand cupped over its head and even pressing her own head next to the baby’s, Emily’s wide eyes suggests she’s keen to get away.”
They later welcomed a son, named Theodore James, in November 2016.
Emily is currently estimated to be eight months pregnant with the pair’s third child.
Dr Emily at Your Service
Even though she became famous by association and could have lived as a pop star’s wife without working, Emily still had plans to use her medical degree.
And according to Judi, her appearances are stamped with “some quiet firmness and confidence”, despite hints of “stage fright”.
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“Appearing on a panel here, Emily’s styling and body language create a message of studied serenity,” Judi analyses about her role as in-house doctor on ITV’s Lorraine in 2018.
“Emily’s posture, and even her facial expression, look rigid and suppressed here, though.
“It suggests some emotional suppression, with signs of shoulder tension hinting at some inner-anxiety or stage fright.
“She seems to be deliberately avoiding the usual attention-seeking, extrovert celebrity look here.
“Her body language suggests a more introverted personality but with some quiet firmness and confidence too.
“She looks determined to create distance between herself and the Katie Price world of noisy drama and razzamatazz.”
Stepping Up as Step-mum
By 2021, Emily was holding her own on red carpets and even chaperoning Peter’s two older children, Junior and Princess.
Judi pinpoints this as the turning point in her public image, with life as a wife and mum-of-two allowing her to come into her confidence.
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“Emily’s body language and dress define a totally different woman,” Judi says about her 2021 Pride of Britain Awards appearance.
“She looks like the powerhouse of the family here, in her stunning silver dress that shows off the figure she has rarely made a feature of before.
“Emily looks glamorous here, as though she now feels she has earned her own place on the red carpet at last.
“Her much more confident facial expression shows she’s now happy to work with the cameras on her own behalf.”
Soon to be a mum-of-three
Emily lives a low key life but has shared some snaps throughout her third pregnancy.
Judi believes her 12 years in the spotlight have totally transformed her “attitude to fame”, with her “levels of inner-confidence” changing drastically.
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“Pregnant with her third child, she sits on the arm of the sofa wearing a warm smile that appears prompted by authentic happiness thanks to the rounded cheeks, relaxed mouth shape and engaging eye expression,” she analyses.
“Her eyes now greet the camera like a friend and that hand on her bump suggests her approach to motherhood might not be more laid-back, too.
“Emily sits at the front of the pose here while Peter looks happy to lean in beside her, wearing a softened facial expression that suggests he’s besotted with fatherhood and with his wife.”
The pair live in a £5 million luxury mansion once owned by Hollywood megastar Tom Cruise.
The four-storey, four-bedroom mansion was built on the site of an old Victorian home in 2003 and sits on 14.2 acres in an exclusive neighbourhood in Surrey.