Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
VOICE STAR IS
Emma Willis has signed up to join her friend Giovanna Fletcher on a gruelling 100km trek through the Highlands in aid of a cancer charity that is close to her heart, and she proudly declares that she has already started preparing for the challenge.
The 45-year-old presenter, who we are more used to seeing in heels on TV, tells me: “I’ve bought walking boots, which is a first in my life.”
Emma has until September to train for the challenge for the Coppafeel! breast cancer awareness and education charity, which encourages people to check themselves regularly for signs.
She signed up after seeing at close hand how devastating the disease can be as she supported three friends whose mothers had breast cancer.
Emma says: “I’ve witnessed the effects that breast cancer has, not only on the person who is diagnosed but on their surrounding family and loved ones, through the eyes of three of my closest friends, whose mums have all suffered from the disease.
“So I’ve seen it and how it affected them. So, I mean, it’s something that I’m always more than willing to do. I’ll do anything I can to help in any way.”
Giovanna, 36, the TV presenter, author, vlogger and winner of last year’s I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, is a patron of Coppafeel! and has been taking part in treks to raise funds and awareness for the charity since 2017.
Emma, who fronts The Voice, The Circle and the Delivering Babies documentary series, had wanted to do something to help for some time, but had found it too hard to fit in with her busy work schedule and her home life with husband Matt and children Trixie, four, Ace, nine, and Isabelle, 11.
But during the long days in lockdown this winter, Emma decided to commit to the Coppafeel! challenge before her diary filled up again.
Giovanna trains by going on really really long walks so that’s what I’m going to do EMMA WILLIS TV PRESENTER ON PREPARING FOR CHARITY TREK
The big-hearted star says: “I think it’s nice that, hopefully, as we are coming out of a pretty full-on year where we haven’t been allowed to venture anywhere, the possibility of doing something like that for this reason actually feels pretty right.”
One September 12, Emma and Giovanna will be joined by another 100 walkers when they set off on the Rob Roy Way, which runs from Drymen in Stirling to Pitlochry in Perth and Kinross.
They will camp out as they walk 100km over five days, along the way climbing Ben Lawers, which at 3,982ft is the highest mountain in the southern Highlands.
Emma is looking forward to the challenge. She says: “I think the feeling of completing a hundred kilometres in five days will be a massive relief.
“But what will be phenomenal hopefully is the amount of money that we can raise.
“Over the years, I’ve done bits and pieces for a couple of different breast cancer charities.
“As a woman, I mean I’m really paranoid as well.
“Your automatic default goes,
‘Well, I’m a woman and that could quite easily happen to me’.
The reality is it can happen to