Emma Willis has been seen looking happy and relaxed after coming out of a TV meeting about her future work last week. The presenter has done try-outs for the BBC ballroom show while paired with seven other would-be hosts and while she is yet to sign a contract, the job is said to be 'hers to refuse'. The mum-of-three is expected to finalise a deal by the end of the month.
If Emma Willis signs up to become a Strictly Come Dancing presenter she will find herself in a TV head-to-head with herself on Saturday nights this autumn. The situation is causing headaches for TV executives on both of the UK's major channels. While ITV rested her long-running singing show The Voice last year, the 14th series now has a guaranteed slot this autumn. And BBC bosses have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that whoever replaces departing hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman proves a big hit with viewers - and have no plans to withdraw their offer.
That means the two rival primetime entertainment shows, which overlap for up to an hour each weekend, will both air with the same presenter at the same time. Emma, who turned 50 in March, cannot be switched as the host of The Voice - because the upcoming run was pre-recorded way back in 2024. One insider said that no decision had yet been made over her job on the show in the event that she does sign on the dotted line for Strictly.
'The next series has been ready for ages so there is some time before any decision needs to be made about series 15,' they explained. 'That is something to be sorted out further down the line. Having the same presenter going up against herself on Saturday night primetime in the autumn is not ideal. But if that is what happens there's not much can be done about it.'
It is thought that Emma's loyalty to the UK's last singing series was tested when the show didn't air last year - as bosses pushed the pause button in a bid to save money. 'If she does join Strictly - and the signs suggest she will - we'll have to see what happens,' one source said. 'The BBC has gone all out to find new hosts who'll prove popular. For Emma, the job is hers to refuse - everything else will follow from there.'
