Emily Atack says she could 'barely walk' when she returned to work just 11 weeks after giving birth

Emily Atack has said that her body was 'in pieces' when she returned to work just 11 weeks after her son was born.

The actress, 36, - who portrays Sarah Stratton in global Disney+ hit Rivals - and her fiancé Alistair Garner welcomed son Barney into the world in June 2024, and she headed back on set three months later to shoot a new drama.

Speaking about appearing in Channel 5 show The Rumour, she told HELLO! magazine: 'It was a lovely job, but that was really tough. My body was still in pieces. I could barely walk, but I had to get back to work.'

Nearly two years on, Emily admitted she and her fiancé are 'just getting our lives back to a semi-routine' following Barney's arrival.

She said: 'I love babies, but I'm focusing on my little Barney for now, because he's a handful and he's keeping me on my toes.'

Asked if she has thought about trying for another baby, she said: 'I'm so obsessed with Barney, I cannot imagine being obsessed with another baby at this stage. We don't have any plans to have more, but who knows?'

As well as focusing on Barney, Emily also has another important project - planning her wedding.

The Inbetweeners actress is 'in the thick of' the planning stage for her three-day nuptials, at which her 'telly hubby' Rufus Jones - who plays Rivals' Paul Stratton - has been asked to give a reading.

Emily recently told how she looked at her body as a 'completely different vessel' after giving birth.

She said on Jamie Laing's Great Company podcast: 'There's something quite liberating about having a baby.

'Your body goes through so much, and you genuinely look at your body as a completely different vessel.

'Being pregnant and being desexualised, looking at your body, you create a human inside you, then you give birth to your child – which by the way is mental – you get home, and the first thing people say to you is, 'When are you going to get back in the gym?'

'Are you kidding? I've just created a human, I am exhausted! I've just tried to push a human out of me and had it ripped out of my stomach.

'The last thing I want to do is go to the gym, but the first thing you're expected to do is get back into shape. Where's the congratulations for being a mother?

'Instead, it's when are you going to get the baby weight off… I'm not back at the gym at the minute, I've actually put on more weight since giving birth. I'm just enjoying this bit.'

Emily led the glamorous arrivals to the premiere for Rivals series two held at the BFI IMAX South Bank in London on Wednesday night.

The star wowed in a plunging silver gown as she posed on the red carpet alongside her fellow leading ladies Victoria Smurfit, Nafessa Williams and Bella Maclean.

Emily showed off her gorgeous curves in the structured number which she teamed with a matching bag, while hugging her on-screen husband Rufus Jones who plays Paul Stratton. 

Based on Dame Jilly Cooper's 1988 novel, the comedy-drama debuted on Disney+ in October 2024 and immediately became a huge hit. 

The eight-episode first series ended in December 2024 and was soon renewed for a second outing. 

And the all-star cast of David Tennant, Emily and Danny Dyer, to name just a few, is back for more raucous exploits in Rutshire, with the main cast members all attending the premiere.

Rivals series two more than lives up to its opening run, according to critics - with a string of five-star reviews heralding its return to screens on Friday. 

Critics previewing the first four episodes have almost unanimously praised the second outing.