Emily swaps sun for snow
By TV Plus reporters

Emily: Home or away?

A log fire, snow and Christmas lights twinkling in the dark... or a sun-drenched beach in Australia?

That's the tough choice faced by Emmerdale's Emily Symons every year, who has swapped a life in Sydney for the cold climates of Yorkshire.

Emily, 33, shot to fame as dippy Marilyn in Aussie soap Home And Away.

She now plays Woolpack landlady Louise Appleton, currently at the centre of a terrifying stalker plot. She talks to us about her festive season.

The Christmas that really stands out in her mind is the first one she ever spent in the UK.

"I didn't really know anybody and was doing my first panto, I was really nervous," says Emily.

"A girl I went to school with was over here and she invited me to spend the day at her parents'.

"They live in this glorious house, they were the kindest family and it was snowing. It was my English Christmas fantasy."

A Jason Donovan mug was one of the gifts given to Emily on that first ever Christmas Day in Britain.

She says she was overwhelmed by Christmas in the cold climate of Yorkshire.

"There was a Christmas tree, with all the presents under it. I was given cards and a Jason Donovan mug, and there was a beautifully-dressed table with a three-course lunch. We all sang carols, it was magical really."

The hectic pace of Emmerdale means Emily Symons misses out on having Christmas at home down under.

"My last memories of Christmas at home would be getting up in the morning and making sure my brother didn't get as many presents as me.

"Then I'd wake my mum and dad up, open the presents and then my mum used to cook a lunch for all of the rellies. And we'd go in our next-door neighbour's pool for the afternoon."

24/12/02

What's on Emily's Christmas list?

Emily Symons has no hesitation as to what will top her Christmas list this year.

"I want a Joseph coat," she says excitedly. "A long, really woolly one, and Tiffany diamond earrings - all the things I can't afford.

"But no, in real life, I really like kind of boring presents, like lovely jamees (pajamas) and slippers, and books. Although the diamond earrings would make a nice change and they'd definitely make my day special."

Before Emily found fame as Emmerdale's Louise, she was married to Flathead in Home And Away. She played dizzy beautician Marilyn on and off for 11 years.

"The main difference between both soaps is obviously the temperature," she says. "And in Emmerdale, the pace is much faster. In Australia we had a rehearsal day, we don't have that here. They work so fast."

So what made Emily kiss the sun-drenched shores of Australia goodbye and move to Yorkshire?

"Everyone over here is weather-obsessed," she laughs. "It's beautiful here. I don't mind the cold. I really love the Sunday woolly jumper thing where you come in, light a log fire and have a hot drink.

"I'm half English, my dad's English. I didn't know what to expect when I came to Emmerdale, but the cast have been more than friendly and kind."

And Emily says she has no plans to move back to Sydney because she loves Britain so much.

"I'm very happy here," she says. "I say never say never, because nothing I plan works out, but I don't know where I'm going to end up."

The 33-year-old actress is now getting her teeth into a meaty Christmas storyline.

Her character Louise has a stalker and things are due to get dark and intense...

24/12/02

BBC PURESOAP 3RD APRIL 2003

Life in the Dales is just grand, says Emily


Emily Symons swopped the sun and surf of Australia for the wind and rain of the Yorkshire Dales - and she couldn't be happier.

Emily has the distinction of becoming a major star in two soaps set on opposite sides of the world - first as dizzy Marilyn Fisher in Home and Away, and then as down-to-earth Louise Appleton in Emmerdale.

Not only did she have to adjust to a totally different climate, but she has also had to show a great deal of acting versatility to play such contrasting characters.
Marilyn, the bonkers blonde beautician, was a comic masterpiece, all tottering stilettos and shiny lip gloss.

She couldn't be different from no-nonsense Louise, a tough cookie with just a hint of warmth.

Recently Emily starred in one of Emmerdale's most dramatic storylines - when Louise was plagued by a stalker who turned out to be her boyfriend Ray Mullan. When Louise realised who it was she made a bolt for freedom and Ray fell to his death down a flight of stairs.

Real life is a bit calmer for Emily who admits she has fallen in love with the English countryside.

" I absolutely love it in the UK, " she told Inside Soap magazine, " I don't know whether it's because I'm half English, but I took to it like a duck to water."

Emily has become a real country girl since moving to the UK complete with no fewer than three Barbour jackets and a Labrador called Star, she told the magazine.

Daily Mirror Emily weds Mr Write Jul 9 2003

EMMERDALE STAR SECRETLY MARRIES WH SMITH ARISTOCRAT

Nicola.Methven@Mirror.Co.Uk


EMMERDALE star Emily Symons has married a descendant of stationery tycoon WH Smith after a secret two-year romance.

She tied the knot with aristocrat Lorenzo Smith in a hush-hush ceremony at Henley-on-Thames.

The Aussie actress went to extraordinary lengths to keep their relationship under wraps.

But yesterday 33-year-old Emily finally came clean about her Mr Right.

She revealed that she and Lorenzo - second son of Viscount Hambledon - had just returned from honeymoon in Positano, Italy.

She told the Mirror: "We had a perfect wedding day surrounded by family and close friends." Emily had consistently denied any romantic involvement since her heart was very publicly broken by ex-Southampton footballer Matt Le Tissier.

He dumped her after she gave up her role in Home and Away and migrated to Britain to be with him.

Since then she has always insisted she is "happily single".

But in reality she has been dating Lorenzo since 2001 - soon after she landed the part of Woolpack landlady Louise Appleton. A friend said: "Emily has been fiercely protective of their relationship."

An Emmerdale spokesperson said last night: "We wish her every happiness."

ITV.COM Symons Says "I'm Married"

Thursday | 10.07.03

Congratulations are in order for Emmerdale sex siren Emily Symons.

The gorgeous Aussie has announced that she has married her English boyfriend Lorenzo Smith in a romantic ceremony after a short romance.

The nuptials came as a shock to many as Emily insisted that she and the hunky Lorenzo were just pals when speculation surrounding their relationship heated up.

But now things are official the blushing bride - who wore traditional white and carried a poesy of lilies at the Henley-on-Thames wedding - is happy to wax lyrical about the love match.

She told The Mirror, “We had a perfect wedding day surrounded by family and close friends.”

And Lorenzo, who is the second son of Viscount Hambledon, is quite a catch. He is a descendant of stationary tycoon WH Smith with aristocratic heritage.

Previously, Emily - who shot to fame as ditzy Marilyn in Home and Away - had a serious romance with footballer Matt Le Tissier that ended in heartbreak.

But with that behind her, a gorgeous new hubby and a thrilling storyline in the hit show, life is looking pretty sweet for Emily.

ITV.COM Mother Care

Wednesday | 15.01.04

Emmerdale's Emily Symons and Sheree Murphy really are firm friends.

The stunning actresses traded more than just acting tips during Sheree's final months in the Dales - as Emily lent Sheree her mum!

When Sheree's character Tricia Dingle left to make a Bollywood film earlier this year, it was a fictional device to give the actress maternity leave. And when she returned to film her final weeks as the tragic barmaid, Sheree had both son Taylor and baby daughter Ruby to consider as well.

Faced with the prospect of having to employe a stranger to look after the kids while she was on-set, Sheree was dreading the situation - until kindly Emily stepped in.

The Antipodean beauty was delighted to offer Sheree the services of her own mum - an arrangement that suited all concerned perfectly.

Sheree beams, "We were so lucky to be able to get someone we know with Emily's mum. The kids love her - it's just like having my own mum here!"