Pierson has three siblings, Ross, James, and Sara, and lives in Islington, in London. She lives with her long term boyfriend Damian (Village) and ragdoll cat Marvin.

Emma's hobbies include listening to music, rock climbing, scuba diving, and photography. She also enjoys travelling to other countries and has put that to good use by teaching English as a second language to people living in beach communities in Sri Lanka.

Emma comes from a family of adventurers. Her father Charles was a lieutenant-commander on submarines in the Royal Navy, while her elder brother is in the British Army and also a former snowboarding champion. Her student sister regularly visits an orphanage in Nepal, and her younger brother James does free running, which involves jumping between buildings, and, she says, 'has broken almost every bone in his body'.