Emily Atack has revealed how her self-esteem has been impacted because she has been “led to believe” that she can be “quite useless” and “a bit of an airhead”.
The Inbetweeners star admitted that she sometimes “put myself down with things that I can’t do”, but has surprised herself in the past.
Atack, 32, said she “always” thinks to herself: “Well, I won’t be able to do that. I’m not strong enough… and not tough enough.”
However, experiences like taking part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and her new BBC docuseries Trailblazers: A Rocky Mountain Road Trip always leave her “surprised” by her independence.
Speaking to reporters while promoting the series, Atack said: “I actually always surprise myself that there’s an actually very independent person in there. I think I’ve been sort of led to believe that I can be quite useless, physically quite useless and I’ve been labelled a bit of an airhead, really, for a lot of my life, but it’s just not the case.
“Every time I do things like this and I’m supported as well, with amazing people around me like Ruby [Wax] and Mel [B]… With the right support and guidance, I always surprise myself at how much I can actually achieve, I think.”
Trailblazers is a three-part programme that takes Atack, actor Wax and former Spice Girl Mel B on a road trip across the US to retrace the footsteps of Isabella Bird.
Bird was a famed 19th century British explorer who travelled alone across the American Wild West in 1873. She wrote the book A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, which Atack and her travelling companions have used as a jumping-off point for their adventure.
Atack also said she “envied people who can be on their own” when asked what she learned about herself during the filming of Trailblazers, which will air the first episode on Monday 28 November.
“I always kind of say I hate being alone. I hate being by myself. But actually what I discovered doing things like that is, even though we’re supporting each other, it’s very much a sort of independent mindset that you have to be in for certain things when you’re physically trying to grip onto a mountain or you’re figuring out your horse on a mountain.”
