Emma Willis has said she was left "speechless" by the scale of Strictly Come Dancing as she prepares to host the first live show of the 2026 series on BBC One this Saturday.
The 50-year-old is one of three new hosts taking over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who stepped down from their roles last year after a long run on the hit dance series. Tess, 57, had hosted the show since it began in 2004, while Claudia, 54, joined in 2010.
After months of speculation, the replacements were revealed as Josh Widdicombe, Emma Willis and professional dancer Johannes Radebe. Emma will also be hosting the pre-recorded The Voice UK at the same time as the live Strictly shows.
Emma on the 'humungous' scale of Strictly
Talking about joining Strictly and what has surprised her so far, Emma said: "The sheer scale of it – it’s humungous. You watch it on telly and see how amazing it looks and how beautiful the dancers move but seeing it in person is just a whole other level!"
She added: "Witnessing the work ethic of the crew, of the production team, of the dancers and watching everything in real life – it’s hypnotic. Seeing everything come together for the launch show left me quite speechless."
A 'fever dream' launch episode
Reflecting on hosting the pre-recorded launch episode, where the 2026 pairings were revealed, Emma said: "It was like a fever dream! It felt like the longest but fastest day of my life."
She explained: "Longest because of the anticipation and the build-up of nerves and excitement, and the fastest because from the moment we started recording that evening, the only way I can describe it was… I was in the actual telly!"
Emma added: "It’s weird because that’s obviously what I’ve done for over 20 years but it felt so surreal to be inside ‘Strictly’! It was so much fun and the audience were so welcoming, they kept saying 'you’re doing so well!' – thank goodness! It was a true whirlwind."
Nerves and excitement for the live show
Looking ahead to this Saturday's live show, Emma said: "I’m feeling nervous for sure, but I was told recently that nerves and excitement are the same feeling - it just depends on how you mentally approach the emotion, to determine whether it’s fear or joy."
She continued: "So I’m like right ok, we can have all of that feeling. A little bit of nerves because it keeps you on your toes, and it means you care. And then bucket loads of excitement. I’ve also missed presenting live telly so I can’t wait - who knows what’s going to happen?!"
Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
