Amy Jackson Westwick is a loud and proud Scouser. Full glam, family, the occasional football match (as evidenced by her social media feed) and a good laugh are pretty much all she needs to get by on a day-to-day basis. A true Northern soul indeed.
The 34-year-old dials in from her countryside abode, briefly pausing the conversation to let her toy poodle, Herbert, out of her beautifully furnished study. She takes a pew in a tan-toned Chesterfield armchair surrounded by Hunter green walls, wearing a simple white tee layered beneath an unzipped navy track jacket. She’s had quite the week, with childcare falling through and the resulting midweek frazzle that will be all too familiar to mums everywhere.
© @timokerber
© @timokerber“They're a different breed in the best way,” Amy says of her Liverpudlian community, a topic she never seems to tire of in interviews. “They love a chat; they're happy-go-lucky. Humour plays a really big part in our culture and that stood me in solid stead for the rest of my life. We're all here for the first time, we’re all going with the flow, and if you can bring humour into that, it kind of takes the pressure off.”
Despite the opulence of her acting career, one dotted with high octane modelling gigs, mega brand campaigns and a seemingly endless stream of fashion month appearances, the mother-of-two is totally unpretentious. She speaks with that gorgeously casual, sing-song Liverpool cadence, but at 16, when her acting career took off, she added Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada to her linguistic repertoire.
“I had a very happy, working-class childhood,” Amy explains, painting a picture of her upbringing far from the bright lights of Bollywood where she made a name for herself. “My parents are my best friends. Even though we didn't have much, their support meant I could do things that I didn't necessarily think were at arm's length. I got my first job in India during the first week of the sixth form and I was worried about telling my parents. My dad just said, ‘Well, we better pack our bags.’ My parents made me feel like anything was possible.”
Amy’s career was new turf for her family. Her father dabbled in radio work, while her mother worked on a stable yard. “My grandma cleaned lavatories for a living in Norris Green!” the creative laughs, crediting her family for her indestructible work ethic.
The vast Indian landscape couldn’t feel more distant to the built-up metropolis of her native city. “I'm a country bumpkin, but throughout my 20s, the buzz of Mumbai just fed me,” the star recalls, reeling off an extensive list of travel recommendations across the country. “I took Ed to Mumbai a couple of years ago when I was filming Crakk, and completely forgot it was monsoon season. He was not too happy about it.” Amy is, of course, referring to her husband, actor Ed Westwick, who famously starred in a small show called Gossip Girl. You might have heard of it.
The pair met at Silverstone during a brand outing with Aston Martin – a disgustingly chic meet-cute, if ever there was one. Amy has since revealed that her husband couldn’t be further removed from his fictitious Upper East Side character, a teenage connoisseur of New York debauchery and inheritance tax avoidance.
© @timekerber“I have been through the motions with relationships, but I think what matters most is having a friend"
Yet, while Chuck Bass stole our hearts, Ed knabbed Amy’s. “I have been through the motions with relationships, but I think what matters most is having a friend - really liking someone as a friend, even more so than anything else. It definitely helps if you fancy them - and I fancy the pants off my husband! Of course, we love each other, that goes without saying, but I genuinely like the person he is. I want to spend time with him, and I think what comes with that is respect. It’s a sense of being genuine as well and trusting that person’s opinion.”
Having a good giggle is also imperative: “I mean, as a Scouse, that is massively important, and I think as women, we want to have a laugh with our partner. I speak from a position of experience in wrong relationships, and I really have put the time and the work into the wrong ones. With hindsight, I wouldn't say it was wasted time, because it definitely taught me that learning what you don't want is as important as learning what you do want.”
The couple wed in an exquisite Italian ceremony in August 2024. A year later, they welcomed their son Oscar, a younger brother to seven-year-old Andreas, Amy’s son from a previous relationship. The latter has already taken an interest in the world of acting - unsurprising given his parents IMDB credentials.
© @timokerber“Obviously Gossip Girl is too mature for the kids, but Andreas is now at an age where he can come to the premieres. Usually, his response is - and this is massive nepotism going on so I don't know how I feel about it - ‘Eddie, when am I going to get a part in your next film?’ I told him that he has to audition, it doesn't work like that!”
Several actors have openly dissuaded their children from following in their footsteps, citing the instability of the industry as a deterrent. “When coming back to that question of acting, he would have to really, really want to do it and love it, because it is not for the faint-hearted,” Amy notes candidly. “The ups and the downs…it takes a toll. You could shoot four films back-to-back, which is what I've done in the past, and then you have 18 months off, and then you're looking for your next job. When you come to terms with that, and you do it for the love of the craft, it’s great, but he's got to really be invested. It's not something you can go in and think, ‘Oh, this is fun and glamorous,’ because it's not.”
Like many fashion insiders, Amy’s Instagram is a curated passport of ritzy VIP outings. During London Fashion Week, the model opened Di Petsa’s spring/summer 2027 show titled 'Holy Milk' - a dreamlike yet powerful ode to motherhood. Walking alongside former Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock, who closed the show by squirting milk from a wet-look bra, Amy joined a diverse cast that celebrated the sensuality of motherhood through the Greek designer’s signature, body-conscious aesthetic.
“As women, we want to have a laugh with our partner"
© @timokerber“Dimitra is excellent at making a woman feel powerful, sexy and unapologetically herself,” she says. “I wore one of her looks to the British Fashion Awards last year, and then she messaged me asking if I would like to walk in the show. I said, ‘Hell yes!’ Walking in shows is not my forte, but I like doing it for the people and the brands that I really do admire. I think she did a wonderful job at just making mums feel like their hottest, most fabulous selves.”
Our cover star reflects on her own self-perception when pregnant with her eldest: “I must admit with my first son, I did lose myself a little bit and my sense of identity. Being a mum is the biggest part of me, it's my priority, but it's made me stronger in so many ways - in my career, in my relationships, and with the decisions I make. So I think that show in particular really reminded us of how powerful motherhood can be.”
© @timokerberFollowing her first runway appearance of the season, Amy jetted off to Paris to walk in L’Oréal Paris Le Défilé, having taken her place on the front row at Stella McCartney and Missoni’s spring/summer 2027 shows in Milan just days earlier. Yet, no job is perfect, and being in the public eye invites problems of its own.
“I hate to get onto that topic because it almost always concerns women,” the multi-hyphenate sighs. “Being in my mid-30s, I have gone through it with my body. When it comes to being pregnant especially, the first time round was a shock to the system. One boob's up here, and one boob's down there. But the second time around, and I had a big gap between the two, I thoroughly started to love and enjoy my body.”
As someone in their late twenties, I confess to her my phobia of pregnancy and my fear at the thought of a tiny human booting my womb from within. “Listen, a word of advice, you do it when you're ready. There is no rush, because your life does change, but it changes for the better. But now, this is all about you. You enjoy this! Okay?”
© @timokerber"I wish I could speak to all ladies in their twenties and tell them to enjoy who and what they are now"
Yes m’aam. “I don’t mean this in a patronising way, but I wish I could speak to all ladies in their twenties and tell them to enjoy who and what they are now. I’ve had two bonny babies, and you forget how your body responds. I often tell it, 'Oh my god, thank you.’ “
How do the couple carve out moments of calm amidst their busy schedule, which involves navigating two flourishing acting careers, four dogs, a handful of horses and kids? “The move to the countryside was a big one. It had a massive impact on not only myself, but the whole family. We lived in London before, and before that. I was kind of a bit of a nomad, I was here, there, and everywhere, and living out of hotels and suitcases. Having a real base, and having greenery everywhere…if I wasn’t acting, I would definitely do something with animals.”
Animal welfare and conservation are passions shared by Amy and Ed. The couple are currently developing a new conservation programme in India, with Amy giving back to the country that first propelled her into the limelight. She also serves as an ambassador and patron of The Elephant Family, an international non-governmental organisation dedicated to protecting Asian elephants and their habitats.
© @timokerberThere’s one more topic I want to broach with the actress, but one must be careful when discussing the intricacies of celebrity relationships. In a podcast conversation with former Hello! Fashion cover star and Love Islander Olivia Attwood, Amy offered a playful glimpse into the realities of dating actors – particularly when their roles call for on-screen intimacy with co-stars.
With Chalet Girl season nearly upon us, bringing with it Moon Boot-clad love triangles and simmering alpine romance, it felt like an apt moment to thank the actress for voicing what many partners might be thinking when these scenes air. The verdict? Not entirely enthusiastic. “I will give him the cold shoulder for a good 10 minutes after I watch it!” she laughs. “Olivia caught me off guard with that question, and I thought, I'm just going to be honest about this.”
© @timokerberPerhaps it’s her grounded Liverpudlian spirit, or simply the fact that she’s a girls’ girl through and through, but Amy Jackson Westwick is a genuine breath of fresh air. Her profession may revolve around creating facades, but the star herself has none to hide behind. Artificiality simply doesn’t enter the equation – bar the perfectly manicured nails and ever-flawless beauty looks that are a Northerner’s rite of passage.
Her personal and professional journeys have been anything but linear, yet Amy has never shied away from the trickier conversations, from navigating blended family life to grappling with postpartum body image. With a glittering transcontinental career, a young family and a gargantuan rock courtesy of the millennial heartthrob to end all millennial heartthrobs, Amy seems to have it all sussed. Hers is a colourful character arc, certainly, but make no mistake: she is only just getting started.
