Emma Thynn, Marchioness of Bath

Emma Clare Thynn, Marchioness of Bath (née McQuiston; born 26 March 1986), styled as Viscountess Weymouth from 2013 to 2020, is a British socialite and fashion model. She is married to Ceawlin Thynn, 8th Marquess of Bath. In 2020, she became the first black marchioness in British history.
Thynn was born on 26 March 1986, in London, the daughter of a Nigerian father and an English mother. Her father, Chief Oladipo Jadesimi, is a Nigerian oil billionaire who is the executive chairman of Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Company and is a titleholder in the Nigerian chieftaincy system, while her mother, Suzanna McQuiston, is an English socialite. As a result of an affair between her parents, her father did not live with the family, but she has reported having a positive relationship with him.
She has several half-siblings, including Amy Jadesimi.
McQuiston was raised in South Kensington. She attended University College London to study art history. After university, she studied classical acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
After her marriage, she became chatelaine of Longleat's estate and safari park. There, she founded the food and lifestyle brand Emma's Kitchen. She was featured alongside her husband in All Change at Longleat, a three-part documentary filmed in 2014 and broadcast on BBC One in September 2015.
In 2017, she became a brand ambassador for Fiorucci. She also modelled for Dolce & Gabbana, walking in runway shows at Harrods.
In February 2018, Thynn began working as a fashion editor at British Vogue. She is also contributing editor at HuffPost.
She ran a business called Emma’s Kitchen, which sold baked goods and homewares and hosted recipe demonstrations at Longleat, specifically in the estate's Victorian basement bakehouse.
From September 2019, she was a contestant in the 17th season of the BBC television programme Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec. The couple were eliminated in week seven. She became involved in a voting controversy after a staff member at Longleat House offered to pay for colleagues' votes in her support.
On 18 September 2021, she was a contestant alongside Lauren Steadman in the "Strictly" celebrities special of Pointless; her duo was the first eliminated duo of the episode.
In August 2024, Thynn took part in the nineteenth series of Celebrity MasterChef on BBC One, where she was eliminated in the third heat.
As chatelaine, Emma has been actively involved with the legacy of Longleat House and its monetization efforts to ensure its sustainability for future generations. These initiatives were originally started by Ceawlin’s grandfather, Henry, who opened Longleat to the public and established the first safari park outside Africa.
Emma first met Ceawlin when she was four and he was 16, at the wedding of her half-brother Iain McQuiston to Ceawlin’s aunt, Lady Silvy Cerne Thynne. Over the following two decades, they saw each other only occasionally at large family gatherings.
Emma and Ceawlin Thynn, Viscount Weymouth married on 8 June 2013. Upon her marriage, she became Viscountess Weymouth. The wedding in 2013 drew attention due to the absence of her in-laws. It was reported that Lady Bath did not attend, with some speculating that she felt the marriage would affect the family's heritage.
Emma became the first member of the British aristocracy to have a child via surrogacy after medical advice indicated potential health risks associated with pregnancy. Emma and her husband, Ceawlin Thynn, welcomed their son, Henry Thynn, at a private clinic in the United States. The couple, who had a two-year-old son, John, opted for surrogacy after Emma was diagnosed with a brain bleed and a pituitary gland disorder during her first pregnancy. Medical professionals advised that a second pregnancy could pose serious health risks. The condition caused significant pain and led to the baby being delivered by caesarean section.
When her husband succeeded his father as the Marquess of Bath in 2020, she became the first black marchioness in British history.