Among the crowd of celebrities at the 64th TV WEEK Logie Awards was former Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins, sparkling on the red carpet in a pretty pink gown.
And while she’s best known on TV for her long and successful run with The Wiggles, she also made a name for herself when she and sister Hayley took out the celebrity edition of The Amazing Race in 2023.
Her success on that particular reality TV show prompted one Logies red carpet reporter to ask if there was any other reality show she would love to do.
”I’ve been asked to do a few, but really, they’re all a little bit much,” she told the Yahoo reporter, who then mentioned Dancing With the Stars.
Watkins; face suddenly lit up.
”I’d LOVE to do Dancing With the Stars!’ she gushed.
Before joining The Wiggles, Watkins was an aspiring ballerina, so it seems like something she could do in her sleep.
But the entertainer revealed another reason why she’d love to have a go at winning the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy.
”I’ve waved to (host) Sonia Kruger from a distance,” Watkins gushed. ”I’m happy to be maybe Sonia’s apprentice? I could just hang around and say, ‘Hi, can I help you?”’
Until she gets the call from Dancing With the Stars‘ producers, here’s what Emma Watkins has been doing since leaving the Wiggles in 2021.
What is Emma from The Wiggles doing?
These days Emma Watkins has many strings to her bow. She created a new character, Emma Memma, who is at the centre of a children’s music dance show with sign language.
Watkins is passionate about Auslan and working with the signing community – so much so that she recently completed a PhD exploring how sign language can be integrated into artistic and creative forms such as dance and film editing.
If that wasn’t enough, Watkins is also hosting the next season of ABC reality TV series Teenage Boss: Next Level, set to air later this year.
Who is Emma Wiggle married to?
Emma Watkins married musician Oliver Brian in 2022.
The Yellow Wiggle and Brian, part of the group’s backing band, began dating in 2019.
Announcing their engagement on Instagram in 2021, Watkins wrote: ”When life gets more sparkly,” sharing a picture of her engagement ring.
The couple’s wedding ceremony took the form of an afternoon garden party in the Victorian countryside near Warrnambool, surrounded by friends and family.
Who is Emma Wiggle’s ex-husband?
Emma Watkins was previously married to Purple Wiggle Lachlan (Lachy) Gillespie from 2016 to 2018.
Their split stunned and saddened fans, but Watkins revealed that they had ”fallen out of love a little bit” and decided they would be better off as friends.
”We (were) not really cranky at each other, we just realised that our situation had changed,” she told The Gold Coast Bulletin after the split.
In a joint statement the pair said they were embracing the “very positive change in (their) relationship”.
“We have chosen a different path to travel in our personal lives,” they said, “but please know that we are stronger than ever and we can’t wait to see you at a show soon.”
However, by 2021 Watkins had left The Wiggles.
Does Emma Wiggle have children?
Emma Watkins doesn’t have children. Speaking to Yahoo on the Logies red carpet, she recalled an awkward moment when she met a fan who said, ”congratulations on your children!”
”For the record, I haven’t had any children, I’m just clearing it up, but I (am around) children a lot, so it must look like I have a lot of children!” she laughed.
Watkins spoken in the past about her endometriosis diagnosis in 2017, which made her question if she would have children – but the beloved performer hasn’t ruled it out.
”I’ve never said that I couldn’t (have kids),” she told 9Honey after a journalist at a press conference once asked if she was ”devastated” about not being able to have a baby.
”I’ve not even tried yet, and that’s a personal piece of my life that I don’t really need to share,” she said.
In March 2023 she told 7LIFE that for the time being, her PhD project was her ”baby”.
Why did Emma Watkins leave The Wiggles?
Watkins shocked fans when she left The Wiggles after more than a decade with the group.
Taking to Instagram to break the news, she said the COVID-19 lockdowns had made her reconsider ”what was important in life”.
“For me, that means spending more time at home, something that I didn’t realise I was missing out on being away eight months of the year on tour, but something that I have really cherished over the last 18 months,” she said.
“I am also really looking forward to devoting more time and energy on completing my PhD that incorporates my ongoing passion for sign language, dance and film editing, and to having more time to work with the deaf community.”
