Nolli grew up in a family of five with her parents and two brothers.
When Waterman was five years old, her parents divorced and soon after her mother, Nolli, and her brothers moved to New Zealand. Again, when the former rugby star was nine, Waterman’s family moved back to Somerset.
After changing schools, she joined the boys’ rugby team at Oldfield School in New Bridge, Bath, England. Later, she had to move to New Zealand, where she completed her higher education.
In New Zealand, at Palmerston North High School, she finished high school and played professional rugby with her male friends.
Upon her return to England, she continued to do so in her first sports team, Minehead Barbarians RFC. Before she turned 15 and was chosen for England Senior Academy, she competed for the regional South West U-16 team.
