For many years, viewers in the UK and here have loved Emily Symons from the television series Home and Away.
Although the normally media-shy celebrity has starred in two blocks of Home and Away, separated by a stay in the UK on the popular serial opera Emmerdale, she would rather keep her private life out of the public eye.
What we do know about Symons is that she is the proud mum of a young son, Henry, who was born after years of heartbreak as the actress navigated a series of unsuccessful IVF treatments.
She split from Henry’s father, Paul Jackson, in 2016. Here’s what you need to know about her life now.
Is Emily Symons married?
No. Symons split from her partner Paul Jackson – who is the father of her nine-year-old son Henry – back in 2016.
The couple never married; Jackson , a radio executive, already had three children, Tommy, Georgia and Grace, from a previous marriage.
The couple never married; Jackson , a radio executive, already had three children, Tommy, Georgia and Grace, from a previous marriage.
At the time of their split, Woman’s Day reported that the pair’s lifestyles had started to go in separate directions – with Symons at home looking after Henry and Jackson working.
“Everything was going great when she and Paul first got together, but then… he wasn’t around as much due to work commitments,” a source told the publication.
“He was always working. Em loves being a mum, but… looking after a newborn and three other kids… would be tough on anyone,” the source added, referring to Jackson’s other three children.
“Eventually she had enough.”
Symons has been married, before however – twice, in fact!
She was married to musician Nick Lipscombe from 1992 to 1995, and then to Lorenzo Smith, a descendant of the 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” her second marriage.
During her time on the UK soap Emmerdale, Symons was romantically linked with her co-star Matt Healy. She was also briefly engaged to English Premier League footballer Matt Le Tissier, but the relationship broke down before they walked down the aisle.
Does Emily Symons have children?
After years of heartbreak and endless IVF treatments, Emily Symons and Paul Jackson welcomed their son Henry in August 2015. Sadly, when Henry was less than a year old, Symons and Jackson split.
“I very much thought it couldn’t happen and I was too old,” Symons once told TV WEEK of her “miracle child”, born when Symons was 46.
“I thought it would be impossible but it isn’t. I’d given up, really, I thought I had tried every avenue that was available to us.
“My advice is to not give up if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the whole process.
“Henry has bought so much joy with him and he’s really taught me how to enjoy my life again.”
Henry, now nine, crops up periodically on the usually private star’s Instagram account. In April 2024 Symons shared footage with Henry at a football match, and in other photographs Henry poses with his mum’s good mate and Home and Away co-star Ray Meagher.
On Mother’s Day in 2022, Symons shared a sweet selfie with Henry grinning at the camera.
“Happy Mother’s Day,” Symons captioned the picture.
“Thinking of all the amazing Mamas and carers today. Especially our heavenly Mums who can’t be with us. Also go us single Mamas, treat yourself today because you deserve it!”
Did Emily Symons have IVF?
Yes, Symons has opened up in the past at repeated failed IVF attempts before Henry was born, describing the process as “gruelling” and “soul-destroying”.
“I spent a lot of my 30s being so anguished about not having a baby,” the actress once said.
“But the flip side is that IVF can take over your life. It gets to the point where you’re so desperate to have a baby, everything else falls by the wayside.”
Symons said she was ready to give up on IVF when Jackson convinced her to have one more try.
“I couldn’t do it anymore, but we persevered,” she told New Idea not long after Henry was born. “I’m so glad we did.”
Is Emily Symons in a relationship?
Symons now keeps her private life to herself, so it’s not known if the 55-year-old actress is currently in a relationship.
Her social media is mostly reserved for posts about Home and Away, with occasional glimpses into her life raising Henry.
