Who is Emily in Friends?

Last Modified Jun 6, 2025 09:50 EDT
Who is Emily in Friends?
Helen Baxendale as Emily Waltham (Source: YouTube)


Emily Waltham is a fictional character in the series Friends played by British actress Helen Baxendale. The role of Emily was briefly introduced in the series during season four when Rachel was asked by her boss to look after her and take her sightseeing in New York. Emily has been a side character throughout the series and made her exit in season 5 of the series. The character of Emily has been one of the effective and pivotal people in Ross Geller's life, making him realize where his true love lies.


Emily’s appearance in Friends


As mentioned above, Emily Waltham is the niece of Rachel’s boss in the clothing company she used to work at. In Season 4, Rachel was asked by her boss to look after his niece, but since Rachel was occupied with her first date with Joshua, it was Ross Geller who took Rachel's place in hanging out with Emily. Emily and Ross became close and eventually fell in love. They decided to get married.


The marriage was set in London in the following episodes titled "The One With Ross's Wedding, Part 1" and "The One With Ross's Wedding, Part 2", where the entire group of friends (except Phoebe who was pregnant at the time) were present for Ross’s wedding. But things did not plan as planned for Emily as during the wedding, Ross accidentally mentions "I, Ross, take thee, Rachel.” instead of stating "I, Ross, take thee, Emily.", which made Emily feel quite angry.


By the end of the wedding episode, we see that Emily ran away from her room, as she felt quite embarrassed and humiliated by what happened at the ceremony. In Season 5 we do not get many appearances from Emily as most of her conversations with Ross are on her cell phone. Emily and Ross's relationship came to an end when the latter was given the ultimatum of choosing between Rachel and Emily. Ross chooses Rachel and their friendship, bringing his marriage to an end.


Read More: Who is Chandler in Friends


Who plays the role of Emily Waltham in Friends?


Who is Emily in Friends?
Emily and Ross on Friends (Source: YouTube)


The role of Emily Waltham is played by British comedy actress Helen Victoria Baxendale. Born on 7 June 1970, the actress has made a name for herself in various television series like Cold Feet, Murder in Mind, Friends, Lewis, Agatha and the Midnight Murders, and many more. Before working in the television industry, Helen was known to be working as a stage performer and theatre artist featuring in plays like The Soldiers, An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, and many others.

Read more about Friends:


Who is phoebe in friends

Who is gunther in friends

Who is emma in friends

FAQs about Emily Waltham

A. While the two were married for a brief period, they got a divorce in season 5 of Friends.

A. Emily was British and her family lived in London.

A. While initially, Emily was quite friendly and bonded well with Rachel, after learning about her past with Ross, she was quite cold towards her.

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