Just two years after tying the knot, The Wiggles’ couple Emma Watkins and Lachlan Gillespie have announced their separation.
Yellow Wiggle Emma, 28, and Purple Wiggle Lachlan, 32, confirmed their sad split via a joint statement on Friday.
“We have, and continue to share, the most beautiful life together, but we wanted to let you know that privately for the last six months we have been navigating through a trial separation, and we have made the decision to separate as a couple,” the stars explained in statement released to the Daily Telegraph.
“Throughout that period, we have performed hundreds of shows together and that is always a continued source of joy for us both.
“We have embraced this as a very positive change in our relationship. Our incredible friendship has been strengthened throughout this time and what we have discovered is that, more than ever, first and foremost we love and adore performing as Emma and Lachy in The Wiggles and having the privilege of celebrating this happiness with extraordinary families around the world.
“We have chosen a different path to travel in our personal lives, but please know that we are stronger than ever and we can’t wait to see you at a show soon. We will not be commenting beyond this, and we thank you in advance for respecting our privacy,” they concluded.
Their shock separation comes just weeks after Emma opened up to The Australian Women’s Weekly about her battle with acute endometriosis, a painful and debilitating condition in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the endometrium — grows outside your uterus, making it difficult to conceive children.
She revealed her mother Kathryn was her secret weapon as she recovered from surgery for the illness.
Emma wiggled her way into our hearts first as Fairy Larissa, then as Wags the Dog, Dorothy the Dinosaur and as a Wiggly Dancer before she was announced as the first female Wiggle.
Emma and Lachy’s love story had become one of the nation’s most treasured fairy tales after the children’s entertainers fell in love working on the popular super-group.
They dated for two years and then in April 2016, families around the world rejoiced when the pair tied the knot in a stunning ceremony at Hopewood House in Bowral, NSW.
The musical stars said “I do” in front of 200 close friends and family.
Emma looked radiant in an elegant ivory vintage-meets-contemporary gown by Australian designer Suzanne Harward. The Wiggles beauty completed the look with a diamond headpiece by milliner Viktoria Novak.
Lachy gave a node to his Scottish heritage by donning a tartan sash across his suit. The purple frontman of the children’s group included his fellow band members on the special day, with fellow red Wiggle Simon Pryce one of his six groomsmen.
