Who plays Emily in ‘Friends’ and where is she now?

Emily Waltham is one of the most divisive characters in the history of Friends. First introduced as the English niece of Rachel Green’s boss, Rachel’s request for ex-boyfriend Ross to take Emily to the opera sparks a romance between the pair, much to Rachel’s despair. After a whirlwind romance, Ross and Emily decide to marry in London, and Rachel faced a crisis on whether to speak now, or forever hold her peace.

Rachel confessed her feelings to Ross just prior to the wedding ceremony, leading to the infamous season 4 finale moment when Ross misquotes his vows, saying “I, Ross, take thee, Rachel.” Humiliated and heartbroken, Emily gives Ross an ultimatum – either Ross can never see Rachel again, or they will get divorced. In the end, Ross chose his friendship with Rachel.

Emily is seen by many Friends fans as a rather villainous character, but more contemporary considerations of her character often view Emily in a much more sympathetic light. After all, not many people would want to see their husband with the woman he accidentally mentioned in their wedding vows.

Who plays Emily in Friends?

Emily Waltham is played by actress Helen Baxendale. Like her Friends character, Helen Baxendale is also English, and was born in Pontefract, West Yorkshire. Prior to Friends, Baxendale was best known for the medical series Cardiac Arrest, and the British dramedy Cold Feet.

Helen Baxendale was in 14 episodes of Friends, and was meant to have a longer character arc, but Baxendale’s pregnancy and travel restrictions from the U.K. meant that she had an early exit from the sitcom.

Where is Helen Baxendale now?

After Friends, Helen Baxendale continued to star in Cold Feet until 2003. Since then, she has been in numerous popular television shows in the U.K. Baxendale appeared in the original Dirk Gently television series in 2010, and has acted in numerous Agatha Christie adaptations. On the West End, Baxendale starred alongside Hollywood actor Christian Slater in the play adaptation of the movie Swimming with Sharks. More recently, Baxendale starred in the 2019 adaptation of the acclaimed young adult novel Noughts + Crosses.

Helen Baxendale’s most prominent TV role in recent years was the BBC comedy Cuckoo, from 2012 to 2019. Baxendale played Lorna Thompson, wife of Ken Thompson (Greg Davies), whose daughter marries Dale “Cuckoo” Ashbrick (Andy Samberg), an eccentric hippie with a bizarre outlook on life. The series later saw Samberg’s character replaced with fellow American actor Andy Samberg.

Helen’s oldest daughter, Nell Williams (born 1998), is also an actress. Williams played a young Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones, and starred in Blinded by the Light, a British drama soundtracked with the music of Bruce Springsteen. It was Helen’s pregnancy with Nell that forced her to withdraw from Friends.