Emily Atack Opens Up About Childhood Trauma

 has revealed she became pregnant at 16 years old as she reflected on her 'troubled' teenage years in a new interview. 

The actress, 36, said the trauma of being sexually assaulted when she was just ten saw her go on to develop 'really unhealthy relationships with men'.

Emily, who is now proud mum to Barney, 24 months, appeared on the How To Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast and spoke of how her fiancé, Dr Alistair Garner, 'helped me save myself'. 

The Inbetweeners star left school at 16 and her famous parents, actress Kate Robbins and musician Keith Atack, 'didn't know what to do' with her when she started hanging out with older men and the 'wrong crowds' during their divorce.

The Rivals star explained she was in an 'awful, abusive and horrible relationship' when she fell pregnant with an unplanned child 20 years ago. 

Speaking about the pregnancy for the first time, Emily said: 'I was such a troubled teen, my poor parents, they just didn't know what to do with me a lot of the time, and I was hanging around in the wrong crowds. 

'I was sexually active with older boys and men, and that was very difficult for my parents. 

'I remember when my dad left, I remember, at the time, and I've never actually told anybody this but I was pregnant, and I was very young. 

'I was in this awful, abusive, horrible relationship, and I fell pregnant.'

She continued: 'It was just in the middle of all this stuff going on with my mum and dad I remember because all of that awful stuff was going on, and obviously the pregnancy. 

'I've never spoken openly about how or what happened, and I don't know if I'm ready to yet, but obviously that pregnancy didn't continue.' 

Emily explained that she and sister Martha had decided to move to London when she left school, after her parents split up.   

The Rivals actress said: 'So when we moved into this flat, I remember little Martha looking at me and going, "What we going to do?" And I said, "I'm going to become a famous actress." I just said it. I just made sure that I did.

'As I say, my parents are amazing people, and I don't berate them in any way for this. Everybody makes mistakes, and this was just a period of time where lots of mistakes were being made, but now as a mother, I understand.'

She continued: 'Also, those mistakes, I think actually they've led me to be where I am now because I think a lot of people think that I had it all handed to me on a plate because of who my parents were and because my mum was an actress, but I did it by myself.

Emily, who is now proud mum to Barney, 24 months, appeared on the How To Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast and spoke of how her fiancé, Dr Alistair Garner, 'helped me save myself'