The popular comedian, singer, writer and broadcaster also discovered a deep and unexplained anger within not only herself, but many other women around her.

Next month, Em will head off on a national tour, bringing that anger – and the other side of it – to the stage in a hilarious and elaborate show featuring an eight-piece band, original songs and four costume changes.

According to Em, her ‘Rage and Rainbows Tour’ is a must-see for “anyone who’s felt fed up, furious, exhausted, demoralised… but has still maintained a strong passion for sequins”.

“A lot of people would argue that I’ve always been okay with expressing my anger,” she laughed.

“It will shock them to know that I really held back for a long time.”

There came a time when Em realised she had to unleash that anger and move on from it.

Once she’d dealt with her demons, she decided to help other women to do the same.

“I found out that most women my age were feeling the same way,” she explained.

“There seems to be this undercurrent of women between the ages of 30 and 50 walking around feeling fed up and sick of everyone’s s**t but not really sure why.

“There’s also this undercurrent of women being fed up with how things have been going for us on a global scale.”

The turning point came when Em began asking mums at school how they were going, twice: the first time they’d say they were doing fine, then she would ask, “No, how are you really?”

“I’d make eye contact with them and I’d see the tears come and the fists clench and then I’d get the truth – that they’re anxious, behind and exhausted,” she said.

Deciding it was time that women stopped re-packaging their anger to make it more comfortable for everyone around them, Em began writing her new show last year and continued working on it after her son Elio was born in January.

“Women often eat their anger, drink it, exercise or go shopping to try and push away their true feelings,” Em said.

“My show is about encouraging women to embrace their anger and deal with it before it becomes poison from the inside out.”

The fiercely talented performer added that expressing one’s anger doesn’t just mean screaming as loud as possible into the abyss; it’s about setting boundaries and being okay with the reactions of others to those boundaries.

“If you’ve being doing everything for everyone for a long time then you suddenly stop, there’s going to be some push-back,” she said.

“That’s when we start to get a bit worried and give in.

“I’m trying to give women the strength to put in the boundaries and to speak up so they don’t get to a point where they’re swallowing anger, rage and anxiety.”

In ‘Rage and Rainbows’, Em delves deep into this topic to send a strong message in a fun and interactive way.

The ‘Rage and Rainbows Tour’ will be as fun and colourful as Em herself. (Photo supplied)

The show features original songs written in collaboration with Eurovision contestant Kate Miller-Heidke and her partner Keir Nuttall, and they’re all available online so audience members can learn them and sing along with Em on the night.

Just like in previous years, Em will be touring with her dad, Vincie, who plays in her band.

Vincie was born in Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, and migrated to Australia with his family in 1952.

“They landed on Lygon Street and that was the first place they bought,” Em said.

Growing up, Em spent every Sunday indulging in an Italian feast at her grandparents’ place in Coburg.

“I’d take pizza home and it’d be in my lunch box the next day... everyone was very jealous,” she recalled.

Em’s passion for her Italian heritage is evident in everything she does.

Upon first travelling to Italy a decade ago, Em finally felt like she “made sense” somewhere.

“I’ve always been very emotional and over-the-top and obsessed with food – all the typical Italian things – but I tend to quiet it down a bit when I’m around Aussies,” she explained.

“I got there and I could be as big as I wanted and everyone loved it.

“I really cherish that side of my heritage and that part of my family and I try to get back every two years.”

Em’s love of all things Italian is also something she’s keen to pass on to her children: Marchella, 17, Odette, 12, and five-month-old Elio.

“I want my kids to know that part of them because I’m most proud of that part of me,” she said.

With a composer and two opera singers on her nonna’s side and a father who’s an amazing musician, Em believes her passion for performing was inherited through her Italian roots.

“I think my Italian heritage is a huge part of my ability to be big and express myself outwardly without fear,” she said.

Em will kick off her tour in front of a home crowd at Hamer Hall on July 19.

With the first show sold out within 24 hours of tickets going on sale, a second Melbourne show was added for July 20, before the tour moves on to Hobart, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Sydney.

Em had one final message for her fans:

“Gather your rage, and meet me at the theatre.”