Emily Atack is starring in the highly anticipated second season of Disney+’s Rivals, and has been giving a rare insight into her wedding plans with fiancé Dr Alistair Garner
Emily Atack and Rufus Jones
The Inbetweeners star Emily Atack, 36, faces a hectic period both professionally and personally. The actress is currently organising her upcoming nuptials to partner Dr Alistair Garner, while her Rivals storyline, where she plays Sarah Stratton, intensifies.
She’s also presenting ITV’s new strategic reality quiz, Nobody’s Fool, alongside fellow Rivals star Danny Dyer, 48.
Emily, who gave birth to her first child, a son named Barney, with Alistair in 2024, has been sharing behind-the-scenes secrets from the Disney+ adaptation of Dame Jilly Cooper’s steamy novel, while offering a glimpse into her wedding preparations.
The actress joined her on-screen husband Rufus Jones, 51, on the Rivals Season 2 Official Podcast to chat about the opening episodes of the latest series, including several explicit nude sequences.
Rufus was asked about the moment his character, Paul Stratton, danced around in the buff following a shower, leading Emily to reveal that she’d witnessed the actor unclothed “more than my own partner” in recent months.
The star acknowledged that the striking scene represented “his first day” of shooting series two, remarking: “It’s very funny, I’ve done quite a lot of nudity in my career”, to which Emily interjected: “I’ve seen you naked more than my own partner this year!”
Rufus chuckled and responded: “I know, it’s slightly weird. I’ve done it about 10 times!” The actor revealed that filming the scene proved particularly challenging as the shower was considerably smaller than anticipated, leaving him with limited space to perform.
Meanwhile, Emily’s character Sarah has been wrestling with the revelation that she’s expecting a baby, while simultaneously attempting to safeguard her television career.
The actress explained that she tapped into her own personal journey of first-time motherhood for the storyline “because it really, genuinely gave me that real emotion”.
This follows Emily previously admitting she finds it difficult to look at her baby son “without crying”, as she “loves him so much”.
Beyond the Rutshire universe, Emily has disclosed that her wedding to fiancé Alistair is scheduled for September this year.
She told Luxury London in a recent interview: “I think I’ve nailed it. We’re getting married in September.”
The star continued: “I’ve very much enjoyed the planning process. Choosing napkins and stuff. I’m like, ‘My God, my life is here!'”
Emily and Danny Dyer’s new programme Nobody’s Fool launches on ITV1 and ITVX at 9pm on Saturday.