Yahoo News I'm a Celeb's Emily Atack admits she's faced "sexism" on panel shows
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! star Emily Atack has opened up about the difficulties she's faced in her career, how she managed to turn things around for herself and how she's still the target of jokes on panel shows.
Speaking to The Guardian, the comedian and actress says that she was down in the dumps last year after her relationship ended and her attempts to become a serious actress failed because she felt pigeon-holed as a sex symbol.
"I was getting all of these glamorous, sexy, girl-next-door-type roles, and that’s great," she said. "But you can’t do that for ever. You especially can’t do that, if – like me – you love going to the pub and you love Christmas Day dinners every weekend.
"The point is, my body was becoming way more womanly, and I wasn’t looking like the girl next door any more.
"In this business, if you want to survive, you’ve got to recreate or re-brand yourself. I thought: OK, how about I start saying yes to a few things rather than saying no, and see what happens."
And while she has successfully re-branded herself as an 'older sister' type figure with her own stand-up show and reality TV project, she still finds herself being put down in one area of the industry.
Related: Exclusive: I'm a Celebrity's Emily Atack reveals her method for coping with trolls
"I’m still struggling to find my voice on panel shows," the former The Inbetweeners star added. "There’s an element of sexism in it at times. People just don’t really laugh at your jokes if you’re the young girl on a panel show."
Atack was a fan favourite to take over Fearne Cotton's team captain role on Celebrity Juice, but that went to Paddy McGuinness instead.
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