Emma Willis has revealed she was rushed to A&E after collapsing while filming a medical documentary. Willis, one of three new judges on Strictly Come Dancing, recalled feeling unwell while watching a post-birth operation.
Collapse during filming
The presenter trained as a maternity care assistant for months while filming the 2018 Channel 4 docuseries, Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, after being inspired by her NHS nurse mother. Speaking to Tom Allen on his Pottering podcast, released on Thursday, Willis explained that she would continue to work full shifts at the hospital after filming had ended during the first series.
Keen to get as much experience as she could, the host jumped at the chance to observe a post-birth repair in theatre but soon began to feel woozy. Willis, 50, recalled telling a member of staff, “Oh, I’m not sure. I don’t feel okay,” and added: “They just ushered me towards the back door of the theatre.”
Waking up in A&E
She went on: “As I got out there I just went... [One of the team] said: ‘I just saw you going.’ She just slid me down [to the floor].” When she regained consciousness, she struggled to understand that she was in A&E. “I woke up and, funnily enough, the first thing I saw was a pair of Crocs. I remember it as clear as day when I was out,” she said.
“I was at school picking my daughter up. When I came around, I was like, 'What am I doing here? I thought I was at school picking my daughter up. Why am I in a hospital? Why am I looking at Crocs? Why am I on the floor?' And then it all kind of came back.”
The TV personality continued: “Because I passed out I had to get full checks so they sent me to A&E. I was so embarrassed. They took my bloods. Then they took me back down then they put me on an ECG to make sure everything was alright.” She revealed she was accompanied home by a runner in case she collapsed again, exclaiming: “I was mortified!”
Strictly debut
Willis added, laughing, that the staff saw the funny side to the incident. “But I tell you what, they all bloody laughed at me. ‘Oh, she passed out in theatre! She couldn’t handle it!’” she said. The presenter filmed four series of the show across various hospitals in the UK from 2018 to 2024.
Last weekend, Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe and dancer Johannes Radebe fronted the first Strictly live show as the new hosting team after Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly’s exit. While many praised the group’s chemistry, some viewers took issue with Widdicombe’s presenting skills, claiming he kept “missing his cue” and looked like a “spare part”.
Amid the backlash, Willis shared a telling message on social media about getting “judged” as part of a round-up of behind-the-scenes Strictly snaps. As the last slide in the dump, The Voice presenter posted a snap of a pink canvas with blue writing that read: “You will get judged either way so may as well pick the fun option.” The other photos included selfies with the crew and her husband Matt Willis, whom some fans have been urging her to host Strictly with instead of Widdicombe.
