Emily Atack: ‘Embracing our motherly bodies isn’t easy’

On Wednesday (11 November) the highly anticipated second drop of Rivals series two drops - and we couldn’t be more excited. Ahead of its arrival on Disney+, Emily Atack lifted the lid on what’s in store for her character Sarah Stratton.

And, she candidly admitted that she identifies with one of the struggles that Sarah faces in the upcoming episodes. One of the many storylines follows the show’s blonde bombshell as she navigates being a new mum, speculation over the identity of her baby's father and her changing body.

‘I think she is definitely going through that insecurity, thinking, “Oh God I used to be the sexy bombshell and I would get all the jobs that I wanted and all the men fancied me, and now I'm changing nappies,”’ Emily shared.

The actor, who welcomed her son Barney in 2024, explained, ‘It’s what we all go through. We can all strive for body positivity and to embrace our motherly bodies and the stretch marks and all of that, but it's not as simple as that for everybody.’

While Emily, 36, said ‘I’m sort of ‘half speaking as myself, half speaking on behalf of Sarah Stratton,’ she noted that today’s society is more accepting and - while it's still present - there isn’t as much expectation for new mums to ‘bounce back’ quickly after birth.

‘In the ‘80s, there was no body positivity, there was no social media for people to create these communities of being positive. It was just like, “You've got to be slim, you've got to be fit, you've got to be a housewife whilst also being a mother.”’ She added, ‘So, I think it's interesting looking at how it was for women, for new mothers, from the ‘80s lens compared to now.’

Elsewhere Emily told fans that they can expect to see a ‘more vulnerable side’ to Sarah. ‘In the first series, it was all about how ruthless Sarah was and how conniving she was to get the things that she needed. But now you see her vulnerability.’

‘She's had a baby, her hormones are soaring, and her aim is to desperately try and build a family. She didn't think she'd find herself here.’ But, despite her character not being ‘as feisty as she normally is,’ Emily teased, ‘She's got her eyes on the prize.’

‘Sarah wants to be Miss Corinium and having a baby is not going to stop those aspirations. It won't be long before she's back to her old ways.’

Rivals Season Two returns with a three-episode premiere on Wednesday 11 November on Disney+. Thereafter, new episodes will be available to stream each week on Wednesdays.