Exclusive: Emily Atack reveals rare insight into life with boyfriend Dr Alistair Garner

Life has certainly changed for Emily Atack over the past year. Not only has she fallen in love and become a mother, she is also starring in the Disney adaptation of Rivals.

She discovered she was pregnant late last year, just after filming had wrapped on Rivals and she and Alastair were on holiday in Sicily. Although they had only been together for four months, and hadn't planned to become parents so soon, they were both thrilled.

"It was a big, wonderful surprise," Emily recalls. "I knew something was off, because I'm such a foodie and when I go on holiday, it's all about the food and the wine, but everything just felt a bit funny. When the pregnancy test was positive, I couldn't believe how happy I was, and it proved I was ready."

Motherhood and being in love have certainly brought Emily confidence as well as contentment, and she can't stop smiling as she shows the HELLO! team a video of her gorgeous son Barney, who was born in June.

You may also like

• Emily Atack on love, motherhood and embracing her curves

• Aidan Turner discusses tackling 'vulnerable' sex scenes with costar

• Exclusive: Rivals stars Emily Atack and Claire Rushbrook talk 'raunchy' scenes

• Rivals viewers give verdict on Disney+'s racy romance starring David Tennant and Aidan Turner

• All you need to know about Emily Atack's famous mum and dad

"I love him so much," she says. "He's got a big, gummy smile and every time he smiles, or I do something silly, and he laughs at me it, I feel like I've won the lottery. There is no feeling like that in the world.

"I couldn't ask for a better partner and Al is the only person on this earth that I could have done this with," she continues. "It was a very difficult birth and after 12 hours of labour I ended up having an emergency caesarean, but he was so calm. All the cliches of life become true when you fall in love and have a baby. He's my rock, but he really, literally, is my rock; I couldn't do life with anyone else but him."

Emily has known her partner Alastair, 39, since they were children – his father was married to her aunt – and when they reconnected as adults after not seeing one another for 12 years, they realized their long-standing friendship had become more.

"He's such a special person and we work so perfectly together," she says. "We always knew there were feelings there and when his dad sadly passed away last year, we realised life's too short and decided to make a go of it, and I'm really glad we did. It has all happened very quickly, but I've known him for such a long time that it didn't feel like a new relationship, I feel like we've been together for about 20 years. We would definitely love to get married at some point.

"He's so intelligent.  He's a scientist and works on optimizing the corrosion performance of zirconium alloys nuclear reactor cores," she adds with a laugh as she reads Alastair's job description from her phone. "So, comparing our days is quite funny. I'm like, 'What did you do today? How are the nuclear reactors?' And he's like, 'Yeah, good, how about you?' And I say, 'I tried to fit into some Spanx, and I couldn't.'

"So, in that way, we couldn't be more polar opposite, but we are so similar, too. We have the same sense of humour and find the same things hilarious. I'm glad I've ended up with somebody who knows me so well and understands me completely and understands my life and my world."

To read the full exclusive interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK on Monday. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.