Emma Willis is preparing to present the first live episode of Strictly Come Dancing 2026 this weekend, admitting she feels "nervous for sure" ahead of the broadcast.
The BBC One programme is undergoing a major overhaul for the 2026 series, following the departure of long-time presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Tess, 57, had fronted the dance competition since its inception in 2004, while Claudia, 54, joined in 2010.
New Presenting Line-Up
After months of anticipation and rumours, Tess and Claudia's successors were unveiled as Josh Widdicombe, Emma Willis and professional dancer Johannes Radebe. Emma, 50, will be presenting the pre-recorded The Voice UK simultaneously with live Strictly Come Dancing.
Discussing her arrival on the show 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!"
Behind the Scenes
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."
Reflecting on presenting the pre-recorded launch episode, where the 2026 pairings were unveiled, Emma said: "It was like a fever dream! It felt like the longest but fastest day of my life."
She continued: "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! It's weird because that's obviously what I've done for over 20 years but it felt so surreal to be inside 'Strictly'!"
Nerves and Excitement
Looking ahead to Saturday's live broadcast, Emma revealed: "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 added: "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.
