Emma Willis delivered a sharp jibe at Will Best as he returned to Strictly Come Dancing for the first time since becoming a father. The Big Brother host, 41, and his professional partner Dianne Buswell, 37, performed a jive themed around Sir Elton John during Icons Week, scoring one seven and three eights to place third on the leaderboard behind Cach Mercer and Jaime Winstone.
Will's partner, Tobi Rose, gave birth a week ago. The engaged couple welcomed their son, Sonny, last Sunday, with Will telling Instagram followers they were 'tired new parents' but feeling 'lucky'.
Emma's cheeky dig
During the live show, the presenters offered gifts for the newborn. Shirley Ballas produced tiny dance shoes, while Craig Revel Horwood offered a '1' paddle so 'the baby can score his dad from home'. Emma then revealed a miniature musical instrument, saying sarcastically: 'I got Will this teeny, tiny violin, just in case I ever hear him complain about how tired he is after it was his fiancée that gave birth.' She mimed playing the violin and smirked at the camera, while co-host Josh Widdicombe chuckled.
Audiences on X praised the quip. @ClairClair211 wrote 'Brilliant 🤣🤣🤣🤣', and @xpinkpixiedollx added, 'She's amazing 😂'. Emma has two daughters with husband Matt Willis.
Emotional moments on the show
During his VT, Will and Dianne both cried as they discussed parenthood. Dianne, whose son Bowden was born last March with boyfriend Joe Sugg, told Will: 'What I will say is you will feel tired. But it's like a magical tired. You're tired from the exhaustion of loving them so much.'
Will responded: 'You're an inspiration. You are doing all of this, and you've got a baby, and you are clearly the most amazing mum, so I wanna try and learn from you.' Dianne reassured him: 'You're gonna be the most amazing dad. And all I can say is we can do it together, us and everyone else out there with kids.' Will declared: 'Big up the mums and the dads and everything in between.'
Surprise for the new dad
After the routine, Will shouted out his son in a chat with Johannes Radebe, waving and saying: 'Can I say hello to someone very special watching? I hope you're enjoying the show!' He laughed: 'He can only see about three inches in front of his face.'
The cast surprised him with a personalised blue outfit for Sonny, printed with 'Tiny Dancer' across the chest. Dianne said: 'I'm just so proud of you for getting out there and doing a jive – of all the weeks! No sleep, a jive with the most steps we've ever put in… you nailed that, and you did it for little Sonny.'
Will had made it through last week's public vote before Sonny's arrival. In a hospital clip, he told followers: 'I got this really cool new thing today. Lots of people get them, but they are pretty cool.' Tobi commented underneath his post: 'What's worse Will Best, a new born baby and no sleep, learning the jive on no sleep OR learning the jive at the same time as having a new born baby and NO sleep?'
The couple got engaged in July 2024 after a decade of dating, with Will proposing during a trip to Tuscany. Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
