Emily Atack's Mum Kate Robbins Shows Off Weight Loss

Kate Robbins, the actress mother of Emily Atack, has shown off a dramatic weight loss after joining her daughter in the cast of Rivals, the Disney+ drama.

Robbins, 68, appears as Patricia Banks in two episodes of the series, in which Atack, 36, plays the character Sarah Stratton. Robbins is known for roles in EastEnders, Crossroads and Dinner Ladies, and had an earlier career as a pop star.

Atack marked her mother's birthday on Friday by sharing a photograph of her on Instagram. In the picture, Robbins wore black leather leggings and a black halterneck top, and clutched two bottles of champagne in a pub garden.

"Happy birthday to my lovely mummy @katerobbins," Atack wrote alongside the post.

Robbins had already shown off her toned figure in a mirror selfie in July, wearing a black top and white leggings.

Emily Atack's turbulent teenage years

Although the pair are close now, Atack's relationship with her mother was strained for many years. Robbins and Atack's father, Keith Atack, ended their 21-year marriage in 2008, a split Atack has said made her childhood "come crashing down."

"I pulled away from Mum, started hanging out with lads and smoking and drinking. I stopped listening and did what I wanted, and by the time I was 14 I was seeing this much older lad," Atack has said of the period.

Speaking on the How To Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast in May, Atack said her parents "didn't know what to do" with her when she began spending time with older men and the "wrong crowds" in her hometown of Luton during their divorce.

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

"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," Atack continued. "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."

It was during those turbulent years that Atack decided to pursue acting, moving to London with her sister Martha.

"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," Atack recalled.

"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 said. "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 Atack's wedding to Alistair Garner

The update on Robbins comes after Atack married her husband, Alistair Garner, in a UK ceremony over the weekend, ahead of their lavish Spanish nuptials next month.

"Yesterday we officially got married among close family and friends. It was absolutely perfect," Atack wrote on Instagram on Sunday. "I can't believe we get to do all that again in a few weeks time. Christ, we have fun don't we @dralistairgarner."

Friends congratulated the couple in the comments, including author Elizabeth Day, who wrote: "Stunning. So so happy for you both! Congratulations," and Will Manning, who said: "go on!!! congratulations."

Earlier this year, Atack described her second wedding celebration as a "fat, f*** off party," telling Luxury London Magazine: "I think I've nailed it. We're getting married in September. I've very much enjoyed the planning process. Choosing napkins and stuff. I'm like, 'My God, my life is here!'"

Atack, who has said the fashion on Rivals has influenced her own style, is planning a big wedding dress for the occasion. "Since Rivals, in terms of fashion, I tend to go quite big now generally," she told Grazia magazine.