There’s a touch of royalty about Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins

THERE’S a touch of royalty about this busy family-focused performer

Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins with some of her favourite things at home. Pictures: John Fotiadis

• WHO: Emma Watkins is a member of popular children’s group The Wiggles

• WHERE: Heritage apartment in North Sydney she shares with husband and fellow Wiggle, Lachlan Gillespie

• FAVOURITE THING: Mother’s wedding dress I wore this dress at my engagement party, I really like it

• INSPIRATION: I like being royal. My grandmother’s maiden name was Royal and I grew up thinking Nanna was Queen Elizabeth because they look so alike. Every time I see Queen Elizabeth I think of Nanna. I think that’s why I love wearing crows and tiaras, everything royal even though we’re not the royal family

• HOME IS: We finally get to see our family when we’re home. We travel for eight to nine months of the year and it’s not all in one block, so it does feel like the whole year. Lachy and I are really lucky we are together because when we are touring we don’t feel too homesick or anything, because we have each other.

The Wiggles have an intense touring schedule, but there was one date in April this year that Emma Watkins specifically requested be kept free.

It was the day she married fellow Wiggle, Lachlan (Lachy) Gillespie.

“My great-grandmother got married on April 9, then mum married on April 9 and we got married on April 9 this year,” Emma says.

Emma became the first female Wiggle when she donned the yellow skivvy four years ago, joining original Wiggle Anthony Field at the same time as Lachy and Simon Pryce.

“To think about when we started as Wiggles in training — that feels like a whole different era,” says Emma.

“Now we’re right into the swing of this Wiggling and it just doesn’t stop.”

Emma in her favourite thing — her mother’s wedding dress which Emma wore for her engagement party.

When they are home in North Sydney, Emma and Lachy enjoy spending time with their two galahs, Gucci and Baby, who live at Emma’s parents’ home the rest of the year.

“Galahs normally stick to one person but because we were all around them when they were growing up, they like everybody.”

AT HOME WITH AMBER LAWRENCE

The couple’s home is part of an 1890s house that’s been divided into apartments.

“The previous owner had beautiful French curtains and we decided to leave them and decorate everything to match,” Emma says.

The Wiggles will be a star act at Woolworths Carols In The Domain in the Royal Botanic Gardens on December 18.

“Being at home and in Australia for Carols is such a lovely thing for us because we’re here with our families as well.”

More: thewiggles.com.au

Woolworths Carols in the Domain will be broadcast live on Seven on Sunday, December 18, from 8.30pm

Goat: This goat lives in our garden. The house is one quite a big plot of land and the garden is shared.

Emma and Lachy illustration: Viktoria Novak is a milliner who makes a lot of my headpieces and she is also a friend. She had this illustration of done as a wedding present for us by a friend of hers, Aaron Favaloro. The picture is of when we got engaged.

Coronation chair: We actually have two of these chairs, they were used at the Queen’s coronation in 1953. We picked them up in Melbourne and they’re the perfect colour for our home, the blue matches the curtains.

Headpieces: These are by Victoria Novak. I like wearing something in my hair all the time, hence why I wear a bow all the time.

Goats on a box: I just love goats. I keep these on the bottom level in my pantry and if any food’s ever gone, I blame the goats. Lachy bought me the box as a wedding present and it had a special honeymoon brooch in it, they’re a Victorian tradition.

Fairy door: We have three fairy doors at our home. Our home is 130 years old and we’ve always felt there are fairies in it.

Trinkets: These all belonged to my Nana. The dragonfly heart is actually a bell and I used to play with it when I visited my nana’s home.

Grandmother’s teapot: My father’s mother was given this teapot by her parents on her engagement and it’s part of a larger set. Sadly, my grandmother recently passed away.

Ballet shoes: I go through lots of ballet shoes during the year for the Wiggles shows. The shoes are given to me by Bloch and I get to decorate them myself. When Darcey Bussell performed at the London Olympics, she had yellow pointe shoes. These pointe shoes were made for me with the same yellow colouring.