Emma Willis may love Strictly Come Dancing, but she is not the greatest dancer. The popular presenter was once cheekily warned to give the show a miss by its professional dancers.
Emma Willis Set to Become New Strictly Host
The former Big Brother host is reportedly set to be offered the coveted hosting role after Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down from the show last year. Following months of auditions, Emma is said to have won the race, with Zoe Ball expected to take on the second role. This marks a sharp turnaround for Emma, who was previously advised against going anywhere near the beloved competition.
This Morning Dance Moves
During an edition of This Morning in August, Emma and Joel Dommett hosted while Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard enjoyed their summer holidays. The pair covered the day's headlines and chatted to various guests, including former Strictly professionals James Jordan, Brendan Cole, Pasha Kovalev, and Ian Waite.
Moments before the interview, Emma expressed her enthusiasm for Strictly and demonstrated her signature dance moves. She declared: "I'm a bit of a sofa dancer." Everyone appeared puzzled as she asked, "Have you ever heard of one of them? I love Strictly, and I'm a massive fan." Showcasing her moves, Emma swayed from left to right on the sofa and added, "I sit there and watch it and do this on the sofa while watching them dance, and my toes are pointing." She continued: "And before I know it, everyone is looking at me, thinking 'what are you doing?'"
Before she could finish, James, who was a professional on Strictly from 2006 to 2013, interjected: "If you do it like that, don't ever do Strictly." Everyone erupted in laughter as Brendan teased, "I had a couple of partners like that."
Emma's Audition Success
Emma has made no secret of being a huge fan of the show and is said to have impressed bosses during her audition. A source revealed: "Emma has been offered the Strictly job and is going to accept. She absolutely nailed the chemistry tests and the BBC adore her. Emma is a household name and a safe pair of hands so the BBC know she will do the job justice. She's incredibly popular with the public too and will suit the role down to a tee. She was absolutely thrilled to have been offered the job. Strictly is one of the biggest shows on television and to be trusted with the new era is something Emma feels incredibly proud and humbled by."
Emma reportedly did a chemistry test with Zoe, as well as other pairings including Alex Jones and Rylan Clark, and Bradley Walsh and Rob Rinder. A spokesperson for the BBC told The Mirror: "Plans for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 will be confirmed in due course."
Hosts' Departure
Tess and Claudia announced in September that they were quitting the show after the end of that series. They said: "We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time. We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show. They're the most brilliant team and we'll miss them every day. We will cry when we say the last 'keep dancing' but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza."
