Matt Willis has heaped praise on his wife, Emma Willis, hailing her as the 'perfect' Strictly Come Dancing host. Emma, who married Busted star Matt in 2008, began co-presenting the BBC show this year alongside Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe.
The trio took over from long-running hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman for the 24th season, which began last month. Despite facing criticism from the Strictly fanbase, Matt has expressed how 'perfect' Emma is for the job and how much she loves the dancing competition.
Matt's praise for Emma
'She's really happy, really excited. It felt different, this job, because she really wanted it, and I think she was scared to say that out loud,' Matt told The Telegraph.
'Strictly was a curveball. Taking the biggest job on TV was not on our bingo card for 2026, but I'm so proud of her. And if anyone can do it, it's her. I'm stoked for her; she's perfect for it and loves the show so much.'
Reaction to criticism
Emma recently took to Instagram to hit back at viewers who have criticised her co-hosts, labelling comedian Josh a 'spare part'. Sharing backstage pictures from last weekend, the Voice UK host posed ahead of the show with Matt and snapped contestants Will Best and Shaun Wright-Phillips enjoying some calm before the chaos.
Emma ended her photo dump with a cryptic quote: 'You will get judged either way, so may as well pick the fun option.'
Josh also addressed the cruel comments, reposting a statement from professional dancer Lauren Oakley with a series of red hearts. She wrote in her original post: 'We couldn't be in safer hands than with these beautiful people.'
'Strictly is about family, uplifting others, and creating a safe space for celebrity contestants to be vulnerable and do something so outside of their comfort zone. This trio have been so warm and welcoming, and they felt like family from the minute they stepped into the studio, and we LOVE having them with us. Professional, funny, kind and fantastic at what they do. I couldn't feel more lucky to be sharing the screen and our Saturday nights with them!'
BBC Radio DJ Ed James also shared his opinion, writing on Instagram that viewers need to 'be a little kinder', adding: 'He's a great presenter, doing a massive job and was bound to have been bloody nervous.'
He wrote: 'It's a TV show?! If you didn't like him, switch off! Why feel the need to go online and give him a harsh time? Not sure how going online and having a go at him helps anyone… least of all Josh, who's just trying to do the best job he can on one of the biggest platforms in the UK. Can we be a little kinder?'
He added: 'And if you are tempted to open up social media and join the pile-on… Go to the gym, have a glass of wine, spend some time outside and hopefully realise this really isn't something to get all worked up about!'
Strictly Come Dancing airs at weekends on BBC One and on BBC iPlayer.
