EMMA WILLIS SPEAKS TO HEAT
The presenter chats to Kay Ribeiro about bins, babies and her body
Can you ask her to be our friend?” That’s the question most people want us to ask 43-year-old presenter Emma Willis when they hear we’re interviewing her. Swiftly followed by the observation that her and husband Matt Willis, 36, seem like a genuinely rock-solid couple – which, in showbiz terms, is as rare as a unicorn doing a back handspring.
In person, Emma is warm, down to earth and friendly – basically no different from the woman
we see on TV encouraging hopefuls on The Voice UK. All blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and minimal make-up, she’s prettier – if that’s possible – in the flesh. But more than that, Emma is clearly a woman who is comfortable in her own skin, knowing who she is and what’s important in life: her family (she has Isabelle, ten, Ace, seven, and Trixie, three, with Matt), her health and doing the job she loves.
Last year, she was gutted after Channel 4 axed Big Brother, a presenting gig she adored and was brilliant at (watch her chat with Celeb BB contestant Roxanne Pallett about her false accusations about Ryan
Thomas punching her for proof of her interviewing skills). But it wasn’t all bad news, as she also got to fulfil her dream of training as a maternity care assistant at Harlow’s Princess Alexandra Hospital for W’s Emma Willis: Delivering Babies. Now in its second series, the show sees Emma returning to welcome more newborns into the world and, for the most part, she is staying away from the business end of things… Do any of the pregnant women freak out when they see you, and go, “Oh my god, Emma Willis is going to see my vagina!” [Cackles] I think you get to a point where you’re like, “F**king hell, all my dignity is gone,” and they’re so in that moment that I don’t think it really registers. I’m also very aware that people might be thinking that, so I try not to stand down there and make them self-conscious. And if it’s at the point when the baby is coming out, the mums are like [pulls scrunched-up face] and they aren’t looking – so that’s when I have a sneaky peek and cry. What’s been the most challenging part of filming Delivering Babies? There were a couple of things. From a practical point of view, I had to learn how to insert a feeding tube into a baby, so up the nose and into the stomach. That was terrifying. From a personal point of view, it was trusting myself, because I always prefer to err on the side of caution. You’ve said before that the cute babies make you broody. Are you over that now? Yeah. I think when I go back, initially, the broodiness kicks in and then the reality takes over and you realise you’ve got three good ’uns, let’s not rock the boat. I don’t think I could focus on more than three. You have to quit while you’re ahead. Also, I’m at an age when my body has been through it a few times, and I think it’s time for it to have a rest. You recently launched the Project Body Love campaign, talking about how you’ve embraced your body more. Has your attitude changed towards it over the years? In my 20s, I was quite bodyfocused because I was a model, so that was the tool of my trade, and I had to look after it and be realistic about what it looked like. In my 30s, I wasn’t a model any more, and I loved that I could just do what I wanted and not have to worry about it. Then I had babies, and you see what your body can do and just appreciate it so much more. In my 40s, I think it’s just like, “This is what it does, this is what I am.” The little things I always wanted to change in my 20s, they’re never going to change because that’s not how my body is built. And what am I going to do? I’m either going to restrict my diet so much to create the perfect ankle, say, and exercise like an absolute fiend, or I’m just going to go, “This is what it is.” That’s a great attitude… Look, I know I’m not doing bad, do you know what I mean? But every woman, no matter what size they are, what they look like, if they are what you think is the perfect specimen of a woman, we all have insecurities. And I think it’s very rare to find someone who doesn’t want to change anything. We might look like we don’t have a care in the world, but my butt is covered in cellulite, so are my legs, but I just keep them covered. And they work! They function and they do what they’re meant to do. For me, at this age, it’s not about physically what I see, but it’s about how I feel on the inside. I eat well and I exercise because I want to live a long time. You had a big health overhaul earlier this year. What prompted that? I was feeling really shit and low at the beginning of the year. I wasn’t me, and I didn’t know why. I knew that I didn’t feel like me, that I was feeling really down, I was crying a lot, which I do – from “I’ve just seen a baby” or “You’ve just gone through on The Voice”, I’m very emotional. But this was a down emotion. And I’m a really happy person normally, so I was like, “Do I need therapy? What do I need therapy for?” So, there were all these questions. When you’re pregnant, especially at the beginning, you have this tiredness
that takes over you, physically you just fall asleep. And I felt like that. I had no energy and I was like, “Well, I’m not pregnant!” so it’s not that. So, I had a bunch of blood tests done and they came back not great. I had quite a few inflammation markers that came back, I had really low hormones, really high cholesterol, and things weren’t good. So, I worked with a nutritionist and changed my diet to cut out a load of stuff. I also took a load of homeopathic and holistic supplements, and just went on a six-week course of cleansing. It took a while, but I felt so much better by the end of it. It’s an ongoing thing, it’s constant looking after yourself. with your new health regime, do you still have treats? I didn’t say I had continued after six weeks! Straight after, it was my birthday and I had three cakes. Well, I didn’t have three whole cakes, I tried them all. And it all kind of went out the window. But over the past couple of weeks I’ve just got back into it. You can lead that life where you restrict your diet and feel great, but it’s hard to maintain it consistently, 24-7, 365 days a year. And I’m not going to go, “I’m never going to eat cake again!” So, it’s everything in moderation. what’s your favourite cake? Probably a Victoria sponge. A classic choice… I’m a classic girl. But it has to be with fresh cream not buttered cream. You and Matt celebrated your 11th wedding anniversary this year. what’s the key to being so happy after all these years? I suppose we like each other. I don’t know. How do I answer it? There’s no formula, is there? I suppose we picked lucky and right, and we are still together, which is great. We support each other and are honest with each other, and we give constructive criticism to each other – and we’re both open to it. We trust each other’s opinion. I don’t know. F**k knows! what’s romance for you – going on date night or him taking the bins out? Oh dude, the bins going out, the washing going on, the washing coming out, hanging it up… that is romance to me. Paying the bills, parking tickets. Like, a date night is nice, but the team work – when you’re doing it together – that’s the best. Because that’s less stress, which means less getting annoyed, which means harmony. if Matt was here and we were playing Mr And Mrs, what would he say your best and most annoying qualities are? He would say I moan at him a lot [cackles]. Actually he wouldn’t say “moan”, he’d say “nag”. I’m probably a nag, but that’s because I need shit to get done. I don’t know what he’d say my best quality is… His worst trait is that he’s easily distracted. But his best trait is that he always gives everything 100 per cent. So, he’s like, “I do forget, because I get distracted. Write it down on a list and I’ll make sure it gets done.” So, he’ll get a list and he’ll do it 100 per cent. [Pauses] Actually, his best trait is he’s a great dad. Now, you’re going to vom [laughs]. He is, though. You’ve got a reputation for being lovely. But what grips your shit? Stupid drivers, they piss me off. Wet towels being thrown on my side of my bed. Chuck it on your side of the bed, because I don’t want a damp bed. Are you in a good place now about Big Brother ending? I am in realistic place with it. I think I was really sad and upset, but nothing lasts for ever, does it? And maybe it’s just having a break, which maybe it needed, and maybe one day it will come back and be f**king brilliant again. I’m always optimistic about seeing it again, hopefully. But if it doesn’t, it had a bloody great run and I loved every second of it. Finally, what was more traumatic: giving birth or doing that exit interview with roxanne Pallett? [Guffaws] Definitely birth. Yeah, it’s much harder. That was just a conversation, trying to understand someone’s mentality, which is hard, because you don’t know what that is. But the process of birth was more traumatic. n Emma Willis: Delivering Babies starts Mon 5 Aug at 10pm on W
‘i’m a nag, but that’s because i need sh*t to get done’