CHANNEL 4
Emma Parker Bowles is one of the contestants on The Jump 2017
Royal connections
Emma is the daughter of Richard Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall’s former brother-in-law.
Camilla was married to Emma’s uncle Andrew Parker Bowles, from 1973 until 1995.
When asked whether her aunt would be tuning in to The Jump, Emma replied: “I haven’t spoken to her about it, she’s too busy.
“Maybe they’ll tune in when I get to the final! Maybe that’s wishful thinking that I’ll get to the final, but you never know!”
Emma’s mother, also named Camilla, divorced her father and remarried to Charles Wood, the Earl of Halifax, shortly after Emma was born.
The pretty blonde attended the prestigious Queen Margaret’s School in York, whose alumni includes Court of Appeal judge Eleanor King and former Conservative MP Joan Hall.
In the late 1990s Emma became known as one of the “Throne Ranger” set, alongside other high-profile socialites Freddy Windsor, Nicholas Knatchbull and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson.
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Emma became known as one of the 'Throne Ranger' set in the 1990s
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Emma's aunt is Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Relationship with Prince William
Emma became a tabloid fixture in 1999 when rumours emerged that she was allegedly dating then 17-year-old Prince William. She was 25 at the time.
“Wills was smitten,”a source told The Sunday People in 1999.
“He was looking lovingly at Emma and she was hanging on his every word. Sometimes he gazes at her so adoringly that it becomes a bit embarrassing. He looks every inch a young man who is falling in love.”
While the rumours were never confirmed, the pair remain on good terms and Emma was invited to William and Kate’s wedding in 2011.
“I was surprised because I know he didn't invite a lot of people,” she told E! News, adding that Kate “is absolutely stunning”.
“She looks gorgeous in pictures, but in the flesh, she's absolutely beautiful. She's definitely a head-turner,“ she said.
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Emma allegedly dated Prince William when he was 17 years old
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Emma is a car journalist and columnist
Rehab and mental health issues
In 2000, Emma checked in to a drug and alcohol treatment facility.
“I have absolutely no problem admitting that I spent my early 20s with half of Columbia up my nostrils and enough marijuana smoke to blanket Wembley in my lungs,” she said in 2010.
Writing for the Daily Mail, she said that she had “inherited” her alcoholism from her father.
The pair has a rocky relationship for some years, but Emma wrote: “When I managed to get sober at the age of 26 (and by the grace of God, I am still sober) I began to understand that alcoholism is a disease and an addiction, not a lifestyle choice.
“I finally understood that it wasn’t because he didn’t love me, or wasn’t interested in me.”
Emma has also spoken frankly about her battle with bipolar disorder.
Ahead of The Jump, she said: “My mental health is great. It’s like everything else, I manage it.”
The Jump 2017: Meet the contestants
Mon, January 30, 2017
The Jump kicks off with a brand new series next Sunday and now the first official images show how well this year's contestants are pulling off their bright lycra suits.
Play slideshow
PA
1 of 16
The Jump 2017 contestants
Career
After completing rehab, Emma began a career as a car journalist, writing for The Sun, Tatler and Top Gear magazine. She also had a regular column in the Daily Mail and co-hosted Sky One’s Vroom Vroom between 2006 and 2007.
In recent years, she has moved to Los Angeles where she has worked both as a mechanic and a homeless dog rescue charity worker.
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