Who is Ayda Field? Here's all you need to know

From Digital Spy

Following weeks of speculation, it was confirmed that Robbie Williams and Ayda Field would be on this year's X Factor judging panel.

The husband and wife duo have joined One Direction star Louis Tomlinson and Simon Cowell on the ITV reality show. So, who is Ayda and what does she know about music?

[Ayda Field with her husband, Robbie Williams, Louis Tomlinson and Simon Cowell]

Career

Ayda, 39, is an American film and TV actress. She was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Turkish father and American mother, the TV producer Gwen Field. She grew up in LA where she reportedly attended high school with actor Jake Gyllenhaal.

Ayda's television career kicked off in 2000 with several appearances on the soap opera Days of Our Lives.

In 2006, Ayda went on to play Jeannie Whatley on NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and later starred in the Fox series Back to You.

[Ayda Field on the set of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip]

In 2016, she starred in UK comedy series Fresh Meat and Channel 4 comedy Power Monkeys. She also appeared as Sheri in the ITV/Netflix series Paranoid. Most recently, Ayda joined the panel of ITV daytime show, Loose Women.

Relationship with Robbie

Ayda started dating Robbie Williams in 2006 after they were introduced through a mutual friend, according to multiple reports. They got married in a private ceremony in the grounds of Williams' Beverly Hills mansion four years later. The couple welcomed their first daughter, Theodora "Teddy" Rose, in September 2012. Their second child Charlton "Charlie" Valentine was born in October 2014.

In September 2018, Robbie and Ayda announced the arrival of their third child via a surrogate mother. Confirming their baby daughter's name as Colette (Coco) Josephine Williams, Ayda wrote on Instagram: "It has been a very long and difficult path to get here, which is why we have kept it on the down low."

At the time of their wedding, Williams told Hello! magazine: "Ayda looked like the most beautiful girl in the world. The setting was so magical, and to be surrounded by family and close friends and then see Ayda appear looking so radiant was almost too much for me to take... I'm the happiest man alive."

Her new role on The X Factor

Rumours of Robbie and Ayda's appearance on the show have been circulating for months, but Ayda remained quiet when asked by the Loose Women panellists, saying she had "no comment" on the subject.

Since the news was confirmed, X Factor fans have been questioning Ayda's role in the series, given that she doesn't have experience in the music industry. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, the actress defended her inclusion on the panel.

"I think for me, on a professional level, I've auditioned for years... I know what it's like to have the stakes high. To put it all out there," she told reporters, including Digital Spy. "I know what it's like to get the job, I also know what it's like to lose the job."

She continued: "I think being with Rob for 12 years... I've been every step of the way with him. I have a huge amount of empathy for the process. I know what it takes from creating the songs... to promoting, to live shows. It's a very emotional process.

"I'm excited to be that rock and that stability and that guidance for my group. And to help some people out, help them achieve their dreams. I'm really excited about that."

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