Emma Willis, the 50-year-old presenter known for Big Brother, This Morning, Love Is Blind and The Voice, has landed a presenting role on Strictly Come Dancing. The mum-of-three will be on screens every Saturday night throughout autumn and winter, fronting two of the most popular shows on television.
The Voice UK returns tonight with a fresh batch of hopeful contestants. Will.i.am, Tom Jones, and McFly's Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher are returning to the judging panel, while American singer and former Destiny's Child star Kelly Rowland makes her debut as a judge on the ITV show.
All episodes of the latest series of The Voice have been pre-recorded, meaning Emma will have the free time to front Strictly Come Dancing when it launches on the BBC in autumn.
Marriage and family life
Born in Birmingham, Emma began modelling at 15, working for magazines including Elle, Vogue, Chanel, GAP and Marie Claire before landing a job in TV. In 2002, under her maiden name Emma Griffiths, she burst onto screens on MTV before becoming a guest host on Loose Women and This Morning.
In 2008, Emma married her long-term partner Matt Willis, best known as a member of boy band Busted. The couple wed in a lavish ceremony at Rushton Hall in Northamptonshire. They share three children: Isabelle, 17; Ace, 15; and Trixie Grace, 10. The family live in a £1.7m mansion in Hertfordshire.
The couple have combined their personal and professional lives, teaming up to present the dating show Love Is Blind on Netflix. In 2007, they presented the ITV2 spin-off of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, shortly after Matt took home the crown for King Of The Jungle in 2006.
Addiction and health struggles
In 2023, the couple featured in the BBC documentary Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction, which followed them as they spoke about Matt's struggles with addiction. The former Busted singer has been open about his drug and alcohol addiction, often thanking Emma for staying by him and acting as an "anchor" in his recovery process.
Emma previously told the BBC: "Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely situations that are not worth fighting for… But in our situation, it 100% was worth fighting for because for me, I knew that Matt was the right person for me… I knew he was unwell but didn’t want to be unwell… I knew I would never leave him." She added: "The minute I watched Matt become a dad, I saw him change, like physically. The minute he held her… He just became a different person. Pure, selfless love."
Emma also experienced her own health struggles last year. She underwent keyhole heart surgery after discovering she had been living with a hole in her heart. Speaking on This Morning, she told viewers: "I had a bunch of tests, like check ups, and I was told after having an MRI on my heart that I had an enlarged heart on one side and that I should probably get it checked out." She added: "At that point I didn't react I just kind of went, 'Oh okay they said it's probably fine so don't worry' so I didn't worry and I left it. And then I eventually saw a cardiologist actually about my cholesterol, not the size of my heart, and that cardiologist said 'you need to check that out because that's not right'. So they investigated, found that I had a hole in the heart and then I met Ee Ling Heng, who performed surgery on me."
The Voice presenter explained she didn't recognise any symptoms at the time, but looking back, she has now realised she had palpitations which worsened as she got older. She said: "I had palpitations throughout my life intermittently that got worse from about the age of 45." Emma still worries about her heart now but is reassured by her surgeon that everything is fine after the surgery, and encourages people to get checked if they experience any symptoms. She is open about her condition and regularly shares updates on social media.
Upcoming projects and holiday
The family recently enjoyed a trip to Corfu before Emma starts preparations for Strictly Come Dancing. Matt described the holiday as "incredible". He wrote on Instagram: "Nothing better than sunshine, family time and properly switching off… with the added bonus of air-con. What an incredible trip to Corfu though wish we could bring the sunshine (and the air con) home with us!"
Emma will host Strictly Come Dancing alongside Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe. It has been reported Emma will be stepping away from her role on The Voice to focus on Strictly Come Dancing, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet. The Voice airs Saturday at 7pm on ITV1 and ITV.
