Emma Watkins doesn’t look like this anymore! Beloved Wiggles star unveils dramatic transformation at 2024 ARIA Awards

Emma Watkins ditched her signature sunny look as she hit the red carpet at the 2024 ARIA Awards on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old former Wiggle made sure all eyes were on her as she braved a storm in a black floor-length dress.

The delicate ensemble featured short sleeves, a high collar and a fitted waist that showed off Emma’s figure.

The stylish dress was completed by a black bow tie and gold decorative elements on the waist and sleeves.

Emma accessorized the ensemble with a pair of large earrings and opted to wear her hair parted back for the star-studded event at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.

Emma highlighted her delicate features with a natural make-up look and smiled as she twirled around for waiting photographers.

The 35-year-old former Wiggle made sure all eyes were on her as she braved a storm in a black floor-length dress

The delicate ensemble featured short sleeves, a high collar and a fitted waist that showed off Emma’s figure

Emma arrived at the ARIAs with her Australian sign language interpreter Nicole and boyfriend Joff Bush, composer of the Bluey TV show.

The children’s entertainer, who became the first ever female Wiggle in 2013, hung up her iconic yellow skivvy in 2021 and passed the baton to Tsehay Hawkins.

Since leaving the legendary children’s group, she has conquered many creative mountains and has now started a new project with Audible.

In the project – A Dream For Every Night – Emma tells 40 short bedtime stories, written by Melbourne author Angela Casabene, designed to help children make the transition from playtime to bedtime.

“It’s quite exciting,” Emma told Ny Breaking Australia.

“I mean, it’s wonderful to try new projects and so this project is very special to me personally, but I’m really excited to share it with families across the country.”

“If performing for kids and creating content for kids, if it’s fun and adventurous, that’s kind of a win-win for us.”

The audiobook is just one of many creative endeavors Emma has undertaken since leaving The Wiggles.

The stylish dress was completed by a black bow tie and gold decorative elements on the waist and sleeves

She debuted her own children’s entertainment character Emma Memma in 2022 and won an ARIA for best children’s album in 2023.

The character is designed to integrate elements of song, dance and sign language, which is inherent to Emma’s recently completed PhD at Macquarie University, exploring artistic integrations of sign language and dance for children’s screen media.

Emma has also left the children’s entertainment space to appear on the likes of The Masked Singer, The Amazing Race Australia, Lego Masters Australia and the ABC series Teenage Boss: Next Level.

Her turn on the 2023 season of The Amazing Race, in which she competed alongside sister Hayley, earned Emma an equal first-place finish alongside the teams of former Voce host Darren McMullen and singer Alli Simpson.

She also married husband Oliver Brian in 2022.

Emma told Ny Breaking Australia she has never had so much creative flexibility since leaving The Wiggles, given the iconic outfit’s rigorous touring schedule.

‘Oh, I feel like it’s been such an interesting three years, where I’ve had a lot more flexibility, I’ve been able to do a lot of different projects that I didn’t really get the chance to do before because we were very busy with touring,” she said.

‘I think back a bit on the past three years. I’m a little in shock sometimes when I think about what we did.

Emma at the ARIA Awards in 2019

‘It was just a dream. Honestly, the last three years have been really special.”

Emma added that her busy post-Wiggles schedule means she doesn’t get time to catch up with her former bandmates, including ex-husband Lachlan Gillespie.

Emma and Lachlan split in 2018 after two marital breakdowns.

“To be honest, I don’t see them that often,” she said. ‘We usually meet at the Logies or the ARIAs.

‘It’s one of those events that brings people together. I saw Lachie at the Logies and we finally said, “Hey, how’s your mom?”

‘It’s something I look forward to most at these types of events. It’s nice to have those moments together. ‘

And the schedule isn’t likely to slow down, even as Emma reveals that 2025 would see Emma Memma’s biggest touring year yet, as she and her collaborative husband continue to integrate her PhD work into the character’s show.

‘[Married life] It’s beautiful, it’s amazing,” she said. ‘We work on Emma Memma every day and Ollie writes all the new music.

‘Ollie and I have been so focused on working on these new processes and new ways of writing music that there’s really room for visual language, sign language.

“I think we’ve worked so hard, not just on the project itself and on Emma Memma in our live show, but also on the research, and I think that’s starting to pay off a little bit. And we just get so much great feedback.’

However, Emma did tease that she would like to reprise her presenting role in the 2024 ABC series Teenage Boss: Next Level – a reality show that follows teenagers in control of their family’s finances.

“What I enjoyed most was spending four months in Adelaide filming that series with different families in Adelaide who let us into their homes,” she said.

“Personally, I’d like to do it again, but if they do it again… we’ll have to ask the ABC.”