Emily Atack gives rare insight into romance after slamming hurtful 'cousin' rumours

Former Inbetweeners star Emily Atack shocked fans when she announced her pregnancy at the start of the year, with the actress finding love with her step cousin, after knowing each other for years

New mum Emily Atack has opened up about her relationship with the dad to her baby Alistair Garner.

Emily, 34, welcomed her and Alistair's new arrival in June, naming their first born Barney, with the former Inbetweeners actress said to have felt like she "won the lottery". The couple were on holiday in Palermo, Italy, when they found out their happy news, with the whirlwind romance progressing as soon as the pregnancy test came back positive.

In a rare discussion about her private relationship, Emily said the pair were enjoying the last night of their trip while discussing future plans for a family. It was then that Emily realised her period was actually late.

Speaking to The Times, Emily revealed: "[Alistair] joked 'Let’s buy a pregnancy test then'. We did and I was pregnant. It was the happiest, most perfect day of my life. Not long afterwards, he packed all his stuff in a van in Manchester where he lived and arrived at my house."

She said that soon after they bought a house together, then, the day after they had finished unpacking, little Barney arrived. The loved up pair are planning to get married, with Emily adding: "I know Al will look after me and Barney. I know he will be the best father and the best husband eventually. I am happier than I ever thought I could be."

The pair are said to have known each other for decades through family – it’s reported that Emily’s famous mum, actress Kate Robbins, is sisters with Alistair’s step-mum Jane Garner, though it is only a relation by marriage.

But she said that it's been a tough year after news got out about their love. "There were so many articles which were really hurtful, trying to make out there was something untoward about my relationship," she said in an interview with the Guardian. "There were headlines saying that I was dating my cousin, which is very damaging, very awful.

"We’re not related in any way. I think some family members found that very tough. It’s anger towards women. Men are so angry with sexy women. It’s like, ‘We’ll give you a little bit of power, but not too much. Here, you look nice on this front cover, but also, you’re a fat, ugly pig.’”

Alistair is a graduate of the University of Manchester where he studied for his PhD. He has worked as a lecturer. The University Website states the doctor studied “Materials scientist and electron microscopist specialising in the degradation of high performance alloys for nuclear and aerospace applications”. He is now believed to work at the sustainability company Jacobs where he works as a Senior Consultant and Technical Lead for Core Materials.

She was first linked to the him in September 2023 as they were photographed together walking hand in hand while out and about in London and were said to have enjoyed an afternoon of drinking together. A source said at the time: "She had a cocktail and Alistair ordered a beer. Emily looked to be having a great time and couldn’t stop smiling. When they left they were holding hands.”

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