Emma Willis has lifted the lid on the extreme secrecy surrounding her audition for Strictly Come Dancing, revealing BBC bosses used a codename to keep her potential role under wraps.
Speaking about how she was taken to auditions to replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, Emma said even her agent didn't know where she was going. She recalled asking for at least the area of the studio so she could work out travel time, only to be told: "We don't know the address. A car will collect you and take you there."
Secret codename for auditions
Mentioning the programme's name was off-limits. Emma explained: "They made up a TV show because they wanted it to be so secret. They called it The Great Garden Glow-Up in auditions. Loads of names were thrown around – a lot of people who I think didn't audition."
She added: "If anyone asks on your way what you're doing, you're going to the Great Garden Glow-up. It was all very secretive. It was quite fun."
Emma, 50, joined the show last month with comedian Josh Widdicombe and professional dancer Johannes Radebe. She learned she had got the job in spring while filming ITV's Cooking With the Stars, and kept the news to herself.
Keeping the secret
She said: "I didn't tell anyone. We were all sworn to secrecy. I just kept saying, 'I'm still waiting to hear.' That was my line."
One person who suspected was Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, a contestant on this year's series. Emma recalled: "He pulled me aside and just said: 'I won't ask if it is you... but I hope it is'."
Emma has received praise for her Strictly debut, while her co-hosts have faced criticism from fans. Speaking on comedian Tom Allen's podcast Pottering, she admitted stepping into the shoes of former presenters Tess and Claudia was tough.
Live TV nerves
She said: "Strictly is really fun but it's a beast of a show. It's very long. I love live telly but it is a real build up. Afterwards, I feel like I've been out for three days on the trot."
Emma, who also presents ITV's The Voice, said she had been "manifesting" for years to do live TV, adding: "And then the telly Gods went 'OK...here you go. That's terrifying.'"
To steady her nerves before shows, she used breathing exercises: "At the start of the live shows I did a little, like four breaths in, held for four seconds and then I breathed out for eight seconds."
Emma beat a long list of hopefuls, including Zoe Ball, Sara Cox, Alison Hammond and Holly Willoughby, to land the role. Married to Busted singer Matt Willis, 43, she lives in Hertfordshire with their children Isabelle, 17, Ace, 14, and Trixie, 10.
Family and a fainting episode
She joked about wearing Crocs in the garden, saying Matt calls them "the best mode of contraception he's ever seen". She also recalled fainting while filming Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, waking up to see a pair of Crocs, and being sent to A&E for checks.
Emma, who once trained as a maternity care assistant like her mother Cathy, said her collapse may have been linked to a traumatic first birth. After a "birth reflection" session with nurses, she said: "I didn't pass out again."
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC1 this Saturday at 6.15pm.
