Emma Willis has admitted she hadn't heard of some of the contestants on the new series of Strictly Come Dancing, just days before she makes her debut as one of the show's new hosts.
The 50-year-old TV star is preparing to front the BBC dance competition alongside former professional Johannes Radebe and comedian Josh Widdicombe.
Job offer in a toilet
Speaking to The Times, Emma revealed she was sitting in a hairdresser's when she received the call telling her she had got the job. The producers asked: "'Are you free?'" before she was forced to find somewhere private to take the call.
"The only private place was the toilet, so I went and sat on the loo — the seat was down, I wasn't doing anything! — and they told me."
Emma said she was so determined to keep the news secret that she could barely celebrate the moment, explaining: "I couldn't even squeal with excitement. It wasn't official yet, so I was really paranoid that if anything got out, people would think it had come from me."
She eventually told her husband Matt Willis, the Busted bassist, when he returned home that evening. "We were chatting about our day with the TV on in the background. I was so excited and nervous I didn't know what to say, so I went, 'I got a new job today.' He went, 'What?' So I repeated it. He was overjoyed."
Unfamiliar contestants
Emma was rather more candid when asked about the 15 celebrities taking part in the new series. Asked about former judge Bruno Tonioli admitting he had never heard of any of this year's contestants, Emma conceded that she had also struggled with some of the names.
"There are a couple I haven't heard of," she admitted. "But then I looked and was like, oh, a football guy, that isn't really my bag."
However, Emma defended the show's approach to its casting, pointing out that Strictly now has to appeal to viewers across several generations and different forms of entertainment. "If it was all people maybe our generation knew, then kids would be like, 'I don't know who they are.'"
She recalled initially not knowing who YouTuber George Clarke was before watching him compete last year. "I didn't know who he was, but my God he was phenomenal. It's the same every year."
New professionals and judges
The new series will also feature five new professional dancers – Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi, Maddie Ingoldsby and Mark Karmalita – who will join 14 returning professionals.
Confirmed celebrity contestants include Dani Dyer-Bowen, Melanie Walters, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Delta Goodrem, while Shirley Ballas, Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke will return to the judging panel.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 7.25pm on Saturday, September 19.
