EXCLUSIVE: Emmerdale star Natalie Ann Jamieson set boyfriend of 14 years straight when asked proposal question
Amy Wyatt actress may have been in a happy relationship with her boyfriend Ali Ward for 14 years, but Natalie Ann is adamant she will not wed, even passing up on the chance to propose herself this leap year on February 29
She is about to be front and centre of Emmerdale’s wedding of the year, but actress Natalie Ann Jamieson will not be heading down the aisle with her real-life love any time soon.
She may have been in a happy relationship with her boyfriend Ali Ward for 14 years, but Natalie Ann is adamant she will not wed, even passing up on the chance to propose herself this leap year on February 29. When Ali, 36, suggested it, she quickly set him straight.
Natalie Ann, also 36, says: “It’s funny as leap day fell on the day before I was filming my Emmerdale wedding. I replied, ‘They’ve just been saying on the news how it’s a really outdated tradition. Besides, I am getting married tomorrow at Emmerdale. One wedding is enough for now’.”
She is about to be front and centre of Emmerdale’s wedding of the year
Come the big day, the cast were treating Natalie Ann like a real bride
Viewers are waiting to see whether her Emmerdale character Amy Wyatt will get to have the non-conventional boho wedding of her dreams next week, as her mum Kerry faces a race to find the money to pay for the do. As our exclusive pictures show, Amy will at least get the dress – and the Dr Martens – of her dreams.
But with statistics showing the average wedding now costs £20,000, Natalie Ann is in no rush to copy Amy. She says: “I am a very practical person and I’ve always thought I wouldn’t opt for a traditional white wedding dress, but rather one that I can wear again.
“When people tell me how much they have spent on a wedding, I think, ‘You could probably go around the world twice with the amount of money involved’. And Ali and I would definitely prefer to do that.”
Matty Barton waits at the end of the aisle
Natalie joined Emmerdale five years ago to reprise the role of Amy, the character played by Chelsea Halfpenny between 2010 and 2013
She might not be quite as romantic as alter-ego Amy, but Natalie Ann is definitely loved-up. She and Ali live in Leeds together, having both trained at the Rose Buford College of Theatre & Performance and they host their own Apple podcast, The Ab Libbing Podcast, interviewing fellow actors.
She says: “We’ve been together ages, 14 years, and getting married is way down on the priority list. We are just very happy as we are.”
Natalie Ann has already experienced the fun part of a wedding, thanks to filming the scene with her co-star, transgender actor Ash Palmisciano, 34, who plays the groom Matty Barton. Ash has won several plaudits for his sensitive portrayal of his trans male character. Natalie Ann says: “Ash is the best. We live really close together in real life and it’s nice working with him as we just chat all day.”
Come the big day, the cast were treating Natalie Ann like a real bride. She says: “Everyone was treating me as if it was my own wedding, it was so bizarre. Everyone was like, ‘Have you got butterflies?’ Even on the morning of filming, my boyfriend Ali asked if I was excited my character was getting married. I was like, ‘Guys, remember this isn’t real’. It was the same in the run-up, too. I had dress fittings, a trial make-up another day. It was really fun, though.”
Away from the soap, Natalie has also starred in dramas such as I, Daniel Blake, Vera and Doctors
Emmerdale is on every weekday at 7.30pm on ITV1 and STV
Natalie Ann joined Emmerdale five years ago to reprise the role of Amy, the character played by Chelsea Halfpenny between 2010 and 2013. She says: “We used to watch Emmerdale a lot and my grandma especially loved it. I remember when I was getting into acting, I would often think about the type of things I would love to do. Just as you go through an Argos catalogue and go, ‘I would love a Dairy Milk machine’, I’d ask myself which soap. It was always Emmerdale. My grandma is sadly not here, but she would be thrilled I was in it.”
Away from the soap, Natalie Ann has also starred in dramas such as I, Daniel Blake, Vera and Doctors. But perhaps the hardest job was her recent stint on Celebrity Mastermind. She donated her money for taking part to the Cure Usher charity. Usher Syndrome is a condition that impairs hearing and vision and affects the two children of her co-stars, Laura Norton and Mark Jordon.
Actress Natalie Ann Jamieson will not be heading down the aisle with her real-life love any time soon
Natalie Ann, whose specialist subject was Absolutely Fabulous, says: “It was so scary being in the chair. My heart was really beating and the questions were so hard.” Emmerdale fans will be relieved to hear that whether or not Amy walks down the aisle next week, Natalie Ann has no plans to leave. “I get a lot of variety playing Amy,” she says. “I love it here.”
And if she and Ali ever do decide to wed, she knows how it will happen. Natalie Ann says: “We are the type of couple that would just run away, accidentally get married by an Elvis, then come home and have a party. It would definitely be us quickly signing a piece of paper so we can get on the dance floor and party with our friends and family.”
- Emmerdale is on every weekday at 7.30pm on ITV1 and STV.