The surprising way Rivals has inspired Emily Atack's real-life wedding: 'I tend to go quite big now'
Emily is set to marry Dr Alistair Garner in September this year
Rivals hasn’t just shaped Emily Atack’s TV career, making her one of the hottest commodities on screens once again, it’s influencing her real life in some pretty big ways. Literally.
The TV star who has played Sarah Stratton in both seasons of Disney+’s raunchy smash hit has shared that her wedding dress has been inspired by the opulent and oversized style of the Jilly Cooper adaptation.
Describing her upcoming wedding as "a big, fat party", she also revealed that the dress is following in the style of the big 80s gowns, telling Grazia, "Since filming Rivals, in terms of fashion, I tend to go quite big now generally."
Just to what extent she's been inspired remains to be seen. Could it rival the likes of Princess Diana's epic 80s gown? All will be revealed when Emily walks down the aisle later in the year.
Emily, who rose to fame in The Inbetweeners, will marry partner Dr Alistair Garner in September. She shared with the magazine, "We’re getting married abroad. It’s going to be a big, fat, f***-off party."
The couple first started dating in 2023, and they welcomed their first child together, Barney, in the summer of 2024.
When it comes to filming Rivals, it’s not just a new love of big, brash fashion that Emily has taken away - she’s learnt to look at how sexiness plays a role in women’s lives, for good and bad.
Speaking about the character development of Sarah Stratton in the second series, she shared, "You learn why she behaves the way she does, why she uses her sexuality to get the things she needs. Women like Sarah have been vilified forever.
"They’ve been portrayed as the man-eaters, the homewreckers and that’s it. But finally, they are being written differently, in a nuanced and complex way."
She continued, "There are so many things about Sarah that I identify with, and not all the good stuff.
"I’m talking about having to lean on certain things to get what you want - your blonde hair, your flirtatious eyelashes, your sexuality - even if you’re so uncomfortable doing it."
Emily also credits the show in helping her embrace body confidence. Speaking about one of the most eyebrow-raising scenes from the first series - which included Emily playing a game of naked tennis with co-star Alex Hassell - she said, "When it comes to sex scenes, if I’m on a set where I’m being looked after, where the men are perfectly gorgeous and well-behaved and everyone’s professional, I’m absolutely fine.
"I will do whatever it takes to get the scene right. With the naked tennis scene you couldn’t get my clothes back on me at the end of the day because I was so comfortable."
The first season of Rivals was the most watched original drama on Disney+ in the UK, and the second season looks set to emulate this success, topping the weekly top 10 charts since its arrival earlier in May.
