Last year Emma Watkins, aka the Yellow Wiggle, just about broke the internet when she revealed her shiny auburn locks which are adored and mimicked by millions of young children all over the world were in fact a wig.
And now, the beloved children’s entertainer has given us a rare behind-the-scenes look of exactly what goes on to get her picture-perfect tresses ready for a performance.
Taking to Instagram on Monday evening, the 30-year-old uploaded a photo which showed her putting the finishing touches on her red wig.
In the shot, Emma can be seen looking in the mirror as she fixes the wig onto her head with two combs close by.
Interestingly, it appears Emma is putting the wig on by herself without the aid of a hairdresser, perhaps as a precaution during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fans were quick to flood the photo with sweet comments.
“You look like January Jones in this pic,” one user penned.
“Bowtiful Emma,” another added, in reference to Emma’s trademark Wiggles song Bowtiful.
While one person commented that the singer was a total pro at putting the wig on herself. “Yessss you’re getting better at it Emma. Usually [hairdresser] Alex is there and she helps Emma.”
Opening up about her hair secrets in a YouTube video for Allure in December last year, Emma explained she switched to wearing wigs as her hair was falling out after having to part it in the same place for shows.
“I’m about to confirm that I do wear a wig in The Wiggles show,” Emma said.
“There’s been lots of chat on all different forums about whether it’s my real hair or not. Initially at the beginning, I was using my own hair and that’s why it was quite confusing, especially when people were watching the first Wiggly series compared to the second Wiggly series. In this one I didn’t have a wig and that one I did,” she revealed.
“So yes, I do wear a wig. And I don’t just have one, I’ve got about four wigs now. Some for touring, some for filming overseas and one that I’ve got at home all the time, just in case.”
Secret’s out: Emma’s red pigtails are actually a wig!
(Image: @emma_wiggle/Instagram)Emma’s hair is naturally super curly, but a twist of fate early on during her first experience with The Wiggles 10 years ago would set in stone the hairstyle she has now.
“When we found out we were becoming Wiggles, I was getting my hair dyed. We got a phone call saying you need to come back for prep. We didn’t have any time to let my hair dry naturally, so she [Emma’s hairdresser] blow-dried my hair, so when I came back for all my press photos, my hair looked like this and so I had to continue making my hair look like this,” the singer and dancer, who was previously married to Purple Wiggle Lachie and is now dating Oliver Brian, admitted.
“But after about a year and a half, my hair started to fall out because I was parting it in the same place everyday, and that’s why I invested in a good wig. It’s so much easier to do a wig and it gives a sense of consistency to the character Emma Wiggle.”
Emma, who is a natural blonde, gets her own hair dyed red at the same time her four wigs get their colour refreshed.
She also sleeps on a silk pillowcase and when she travels, each wig is wrapped in a silk scarf, to ensure the hair is kept soft and shiny.
Since lockdown, the Wiggles have had to sit tight on their usual large-scale performances but like so many bands, they have provided fans with weekly live streams online.
Most notably, streaming their new single Social Distancing from an empty Opera House to millions of fans online.
The singer has naturally blonde curly locks.
(Image: @emma_wiggle/Instagram)
