# Emily Symons

Emily Symons (born 10 August 1969) is an Australian actress, active on both Australian and British television. She is known for playing Anne Costello in the short-lived soap opera Richmond Hill in 1988 and when that series ended in 1989, she started playing Marilyn Chambers in Home and Away. After almost ten years in that role, Symons moved to the UK and was immediately cast as Louise Appleton in the British soap Emmerdale. She also took part in the British show Dancing on Ice in 2007. She then returned to Australia in 2010 to reprise her role as Marilyn in Home and Away.

## Life and career

Emily Symons's mother remarried when she was just four years old and Symons did not see her biological, English father again until ten years later. She left school before finishing her exams and launched herself into the acting world. For nearly a year, she worked in shops before getting a break in a post office training video.
Her first high-profile role was in Australian soap opera Richmond Hill. After Richmond Hill, Symons auditioned for another Australian drama, Home and Away, for which she won the role of Marilyn Chambers whom she played from 1989 until 1992, reprising the role in 1995 until 1999—with a brief appearance in 2001. She also hosted the Channel 7 music programme Video Smash Hits.
After starring in a string of pantomimes in England, Symons decided to move there. She played the role of barmaid Louise Appleton in the ITV1 soap opera Emmerdale from 2001 to 2008. She was also a contestant in the 2007 series of Dancing on Ice, but was voted out in the semi-final following a skate-off against Blue's Duncan James.
Symons has now returned to Australia permanently, and again resumed playing Home and Away's Marilyn Chambers from episode 5035 which aired 19 March 2010 in Australia and has remained ever since.

## Personal life

Symons was married to Lorenzo Smith, a son of Viscount Hambleden and descendant of English stationery tycoon W. H. Smith, for two years, from 2003 to 2005. Symons said in an interview that her need for children and the resultant cycles of IVF eventually 'killed' the marriage.
She was engaged to footballer Matt Le Tissier. She dated her Emmerdale co-star Matt Healy, who played Matthew King. They broke up just before she took part in Dancing on Ice.
On 3 August 2015, Symons gave birth to her first child with her then-partner Paul Jackson.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Type |
| 1988 | Richmond Hill | Anne Costello | Season 1 (main role) |
| 1988 | Computer Ghosts | Anya | Feature film |
| 1989–92, 1995–99, 2001, 2010–present | Home and Away | Marilyn Chambers | Season 2–5, 8–12, 23–present (main role, 2400+) Season 14 (guest role, 4 episodes) |
| 1990–1994 | Video Smash Hits | Presenter | TV series |
| 1990 | TV Celebrity Dance Party | Herself with Farmhouse band Georgie Parker, Matt Day & Michael Horrocks perform "These Boots Are Made For Walkin' | TV special |
| 1991 | Celebrity Family Feud | Herself – Contestant with Home And Away cast Mat Stevenson, Rebekah Elmaloglou & Greg Benson | TV series, 1 episode "Home And Away v The Four Kinsmen" |
| 1992 | Celebrity Wheel of Fortune | Herself – Contestant with George Kapinaris & Derek Rucker | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2001–2008 | Emmerdale | Louise Appleton | (main role, 984 episodes) |
| 2007 | Dancing on Ice | Contestant | TV series |
| 2022 & 2023 | The Morning Show | Herself – Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2022 | This Is Your Life: Ray Meagher | Herself with Home And Away Cast | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2023 | The Morning Show | Herself – Guest with Ray Meagher | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2023 | Seven News | Herself with Home And Away cast | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2023 | The 63rd TV Week Logie Awards | Herself & Lynne McGranger | TV special |
| 2023 | The Morning Show | Herself & Home And Away cast | TV series, 1 episode |

## Discography
### Albums

List of albums, with Australian chart positions :
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | AUS |
| Farmhouse (as part of Farmhouse) | Released: November 1991 Format: CD, Cassette Label: RCA (VPCD 0845) | 95 |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2002 | National Television Awards | Most Popular Newcomer | Emmerdale | Nominated |
| 2014 | Equity Ensemble Awards | Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (shared with cast) | Home and Away (Season 26) | Nominated |
| 2023 | Logie Awards | Most popular Actress | Home and Away (Season 35) | Nominated |