EMMA WILLIS TALKS TO HEAT
Telly’s busiest woman talks to Jordan Paramour about CBB, stalking Davina Mccall and being a jealous wife
Emma Willis is one of those women it would be pretty easy to resent. She’s absolutely gorgeous, she’s married to Matt Willis from Busted, and she’s one of the most in-demand TV presenters in the country. And yet, FFS, you can’t begrudge her any of it because she’s just so bloody nice. And not just showbiz “I’ll smile for the cameras and then bitch about it” nice, but properly down-to-earth, funny, and, well, normal.
The former model began her TV career on MTV in the ’00s, and these days you’ll find her fronting everything from The Voice to Celebrity Big Brother, which is handily back on our scre ens this week to fill the gaping void Love
Island has left in our lives. Emma, 41, married Matt, 34, nine years ago, and the couple have three children, Isabelle, eight, Ace, six, and Trixie, one. When we catch up with her she’s fresh from doing a mum run to collect the kids, and her one-yearold is busy pulling her and Matt’s DVD collection off a shelf. “Ah well,” she laughs, “That will give me something to do later!” Things seem pretty busy right now? So busy, with school holidays and keeping the kids occupied. Going to work is like having a day off. Work’s a breeze compared to school holidays with three kids. Celebrity Big Brother is back – are you excited? I am. You’re always guaranteed a lot of fun with the celebrity version, because everyone’s being paid to be there, and it’s not like they’re all desperately grappling to win that pot of gold at the end of it. Celebrities are almost like light relief compared to what goes down in the summer series, which can get quite serious. Who would be in your dream line-up? I’ve got four people that I really want to go in: Richard and Judy, and Eamonn and Ruth. You’d want to watch every night, wouldn’t you? Eamonn and Ruth are so amazing. They’re such lovely people and they’re hilarious together. I love the fact that Eamonn thinks he wears the trousers, but we all know it’s really Ruth. And, you know, he’s happy with that. Eamonn is one of my favourite people ever. I absolutely adore them both. And they’re CBB super-fans… They are. They watch it every night. I think that’s probably why Eamonn knows better than to go in there. And, obviously,
Richard and Judy would just be addictive television. Who are your favourite and least-favourite CBB contestants of all time? I don’t think I’ve got any least favourites. The people that infuriate you make you want to watch – even though you know you’re going to be wound up and annoyed, you still go there. Some of my favourites have been Gary Busey. I loved him. Speidi were just brilliant, and the Lee Ryan, Casey Batchelor and Jasmine Waltz love triangle was probably my favourite moment ever. You couldn’t have written that. James Jordan was fantastic for stirring the pot, because you never knew whether it was genuine or if he was just on the wind-up. And Lionel Blair? Who would have expected him to be like that? He was great. There are a couple of people going into this series that I’m really interested in… Do your kids watch the show? [Horrified.] Oh my God, no! How old will they be when they’re allowed? At least 16. There’s such bad language in it and sometimes it can get a bit graphic. We have to ask – did you watch any of Love Island? No, because Big Brother was on at the same time. But it’s having its
moment, and good on it. I used to watch the version years ago, with Kelly Brook and Patrick Kielty presenting, but this time around I was tied up with Big Brother. What’s the most embarrassing question you’ve ever asked someone during an interview? I once asked Will Young if he was a shower or a grower. Can you, ahem, expand on that? I can’t believe I’m going to repeat this, but if you’re a shower, you have a naturally large one, and if you’re a grower you have an average one that grows quite big. It was a very long time ago in my MTV days. I’d met Will Young before and I thought he’d have a laugh and a joke with me about it. What was his answer? I think I was so embarrassed by the time I’d asked the question, I didn’t really hear what he said. You’ve become more successful as you’ve got older – that must feel good? I never feel like anything’s going to last, so I’m flabbergasted to still be doing this after 15 years. It’s only really been the last few years that things have been going so well, so I feel like I’ve only just started. Even though I’m 41, I feel like I’m just getting going. Then I worry and think, “If I’m 41 and I’m only just getting going, and people don’t want to use me by the time I’m 50, I haven’t got much longer left!” But I’m quite paranoid. Or maybe realistic is a better word.
[Pauses.] And a bit paranoid. But things are going brilliantly… I know things are going great now, but next year or the year after? It could be very different. I guess I’m a glass half-empty person. That way you never feel like you’re being let down by anything. That’s a bit depressing, isn’t it? [Laughs.] I guess it’s an built-in safety net, but I don’t get carried away with things. And you’re only as old as you feel… I think that maybe because I have a husband who’s seven years younger, people think I’m younger, which is really nice. People always say to me, “You’re not 41, are you? How old is Matt?” And I’m like, “He’s much younger.” It’s funny, because I’m pretty good at running a house and looking after my family, but I still feel like I’m in my early twenties. My mum’s in her mid-sixties and she doesn’t act it. Both of my parents are a good inspiration. You’re often compared to Davina Mccall… She’s the don! I love her. I’ve watched every single episode of Big Brother my whole life, and she had me from the minute she started that show. Having said that, I knew Davina from when I was a model at Models One and she was working as a booker there. She used to throw parties that I’d go along to.
Small world… I didn’t know her really well, but I met her a bunch of times and she was always fantastic. And, lo and behold, she goes on to become the don of female TV presenters and hosts my favourite TV show on the planet, and then I end up doing that as well. We’re both women, we’re both in our forties, we’ve both got three kids, we’ve both got brown hair, and we’re both married to a Matthew… This is getting spooky. I know! It’s like I’m her stalker, but I promise I’m not. She’s a very down-to-earth woman, and I like to think I’m the same way. Not to copy her. [Laughs.] I love her, and she’s so inspirational in so many ways. I look at her Instagram pictures and I’m like, “Jesus Christ – she’s got that slammin’
‘Maybe Matt and I should both go on Strictly…’
body going on.” Now you’re going to print all of this and I’ll look even more like a stalker. I’m going to look insane. Just own it. How do you stay in shape? Do people assume you’re genetically blessed? I’m lucky , because my mum still looks fantastic and we’re a very similar build. But once you get to your late thirties and pivot over 40 and have another baby… Even without having a third baby, your body just starts to be different. My lower back goes every now and again, so I needed to strengthen that. I was adamant that I would get in shape. Not to be thin, but to be strong, and make my body last as long as possible. Did you have a “it’s now or never” moment? You get to a certain age where you think, “I can’t eat sugar and drink booze and stay up all night, and get up in the morning and not feel like crap.” I can’t. You look at your body and you go, “Shit, it’s dropping. I had better get my arse to the gym.” After I had my third baby I went into the gym with a trainer and now I love it. What kind of things do you do? I work out a lot at home or the park now. I want something that gets results and that I can fit into my day. I don’t like running long distance, and I don’t want to drive half an hour to the gym, workout, shower and drive home again. That’s three and a half hours gone. I want to go in my garden and throw tyres around and lift ropes. I like HIIT training and boxing, too, because they’re always different. Job done in an hour. You’ve previously said about Matt doing Strictly, “I’m a jealous person. If my husband is around a younger, good-looking woman, I’m like, ‘Stop looking at them!’” Do you still feel like that? It was said in a very tongue-incheek way. One of my good friends is always saying to me, “Let him do it.” A nd I’m like, “No, he is not dancing with those fit girls.” But if Matt wants to do it, he can. In fact, I do say to him every now and again, “Go on, get your sequins on.” And he’ll reply, “No!” [Laughs.] Of course, the paranoid woman in me, which I’ll hold my hands up and say I am, thinks, “I was joking, but I’m not sure if I want you grinding up against a really hot female.” But if he really wanted to do it, would I say no? Of course not. I’d just have my eye on him. I love him, but I would be jealous on the inside if it happened. Part of it is because I want to be able to dance like that myself. Maybe we should both go on it?