Emma Watkins reveals the struggle she endured after leaving The Wiggles: ‘I am sorry’

Emma Watkins has admitted that her departure from The Wiggles two years ago came with a huge sense of guilt.

The children’s entertainer, 35, talks in this week’s issue Stellar magazine that she hoped not to let her fans down, but could not avoid this.

“We weren’t touring during the pandemic, and I thought maybe I wouldn’t disappoint so many kids,” she said.

“But even though I left at that time, I was still disappointing kids. So I’m sorry for all the kids back then.”

Emma went on to say that some of her fans have been following her to her new projects.

“The parents will most likely say, ‘We actually had a ticket to come see you in 2021 and the pandemic happened. So we got our money back and then we got booked to see the next one and then you weren’t there. So now we come to see you [as Emma Memma, a new character she created] because this is the first time we can see you live.”

‘That’s a nice story too. And that story is still happening.”

Earlier this year, Emma revealed her exciting new career move, two years after leaving the iconic children’s group.

She has taken over hosting duties for the third series of the hit ABC reality show Teenage Boss: Next Level.

The popular show, which follows the lives of several teenagers as they manage their household budgets, was hosted by mathematician Eddie Woo for its first two seasons.

Watkins expressed her joy in joining the show in a statement.

‘I’m thrilled to be joining the third series of the much-loved show. I look forward to working with the teens themselves to tackle the challenges of managing budgets,” she began.

‘I hope to learn a thing or two myself. Tighten your purse strings, I’m coming!’

Filmed in South Australia, the series is produced by McAvoy Media and aims to teach teenagers the ins and outs of responsible spending.

In 2022, Watkins shocked fans when she hung up her Yellow Wiggle costume after nearly a decade in the world-famous children’s group.

The beloved entertainer revealed that she had a “beautiful” conversation with her successor Tsehay Hawkins the night before she left the band.

“We weren’t touring during the pandemic, and I thought maybe I wouldn’t disappoint so many kids,” she said. “But even though I left at that time, I was still disappointing kids. So I’m sorry for all the kids at that time.”

Earlier this year, Emma revealed her exciting new career move, two years after leaving the iconic children’s group

She said Tsehay was excited to step into her shoes and that the two “couldn’t be in a better position” as they had already performed together.

“I probably didn’t think much the night before, but I remember talking to Tsehay on the phone, which was so sweet,” she said. 7Lifein which she explained that she had long thought about her decision to leave.

“I think I was ready for a new chapter, but I probably didn’t know if I would be ready or not.”

Since leaving the children’s supergroup last year, the former Yellow Wiggle has created a new character, Emma Memma, which she revealed in July 2022.

Her alter ego still has Watkins’ signature curly hair, but she has dyed it red to match her bright orange dress and pink shirt.

Read more in Stellar Magazine