Emerald Fennell gets candid about the choice that changed her life

Emerald Fennell has reflected candidly on her teenage years, admitting that boarding school may have saved her from spiraling had she stayed in London.

The Wuthering Heights director revealed that she left home at 13 to attend boarding school a decision she now views as crucial. 

Speaking on Ruthie’s Table 4 podcast, Fennell said she believes she would have “gone quite quickly off the rails” if she had remained in the city.

“It actually was, I think, probably a very good idea,” she explained. “Even as a child, I knew that.”

While Fennell acknowledged the experience could be isolating — particularly as an insomniac she still considers it the more stable option. 

“Being awake in a room full of people when everyone’s asleep is quite lonely,” she said. “But it was probably a more wholesome scenario than if I’d stayed in London.”

The filmmaker, who also directed Saltburn, recalled that while sleep was a struggle, food was not. Raised largely on ready meals, she was delighted by simple boarding school staples. “It was a lot of toast — and I love toast,” she said, adding that chips felt like a luxury. “I mostly grew up on carbohydrates, which was absolutely fine by me.”

That enthusiasm eventually came with a reality check. “When I hit 18 and realized you can’t eat 5,000 calories worth of carbs every day, I was like, ‘This diet isn’t sustainable,’” she joked.

These days, Fennell says her love of food hasn’t faded and it has even found its way into her work. 

Asked whether food plays a role in her upcoming Wuthering Heights adaptation, she confirmed it does. “Oh yes. There are so many food scenes,” she said. “There are eggs. There’s jelly.”

Ruthie’s Table 4 is available on all major podcast platforms.