Emma Willis is preparing to present the first live episode of Strictly Come Dancing 2026 this weekend. The BBC One programme is undergoing a major overhaul for the 2026 series, with presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman departing after a notable tenure.
New presenters announced
Tess, 57, had fronted the dance programme since its inception in 2004, while Claudia, 54, had joined in 2010. Following months of anticipation and rumours, their successors were unveiled as Josh Widdicombe, Emma Willis and professional dancer Johannes Radebe.
Emma, 50, will be presenting the pre-recorded The Voice UK simultaneously with live Strictly Come Dancing.
Emma's reaction to joining Strictly
Speaking about joining Strictly, Emma said: "The sheer scale of it – it's humungous. You watch it on telly and see how amazing it looks and how beautiful the dancers move but seeing it in person is just a whole other level!"
She added: "Witnessing the work ethic of the crew, of the production team, of the dancers and watching everything in real life – it's hypnotic. Seeing everything come together for the launch show left me quite speechless."
Launch show and live broadcast
Discussing the pre-recorded launch episode, where the 2026 partnerships were unveiled, Emma said: "It was like a fever dream! It felt like the longest but fastest day of my life."
She explained: "Longest because of the anticipation and the build-up of nerves and excitement, and the fastest because from the moment we started recording that evening, the only way I can describe it was... I was in the actual telly!"
Opening up about this Saturday's live broadcast, Emma said: "I'm feeling nervous for sure, but I was told recently that nerves and excitement are the same feeling - it just depends on how you mentally approach the emotion, to determine whether it's fear or joy."
She added: "So I'm like right ok, we can have all of that feeling. A little bit of nerves because it keeps you on your toes, and it means you care. And then bucket loads of excitement. I've also missed presenting live telly so I can't wait - who knows what's going to happen?"
Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
