For a long time I was running on empty... I have to prioritise myself now and then
THE VOICE UK HOST EMMA WILLIS TALKS TO ABI JACKSON ABOUT FEELING STRONG IN HER OWN SKIN, CHERISHING FAMILY TIME AND WHY COMMUNICATION IS KEY IN HER MARRIAGE
WHAT makes you feel strong and confident in your own skin? For Emma Willis, it starts on the inside.
“I think the mind comes into play a lot, for me personally,” says the TV and radio presenter, and host of ITV’s The Voice UK.
“Strength to me definitely comes more from a mental point of view.
“And there are days when I don’t feel strong, and I think you get to a certain age and anxiety kicks in quite a bit, you overthink, you overworry. But if I can stick to a routine, stay on track, stay positive mentally, that gives me the strength I need to call on when I need it.”
The mum-of-three, 47, has teamed up with Absolute Collagen on their new ‘Strong in your own skin’ campaign. The supplement brand found 63% of women say they feel strong in their own skin – yet nearly half admit they also lack selfconfidence, with a third saying they’ve avoided socialising with friends as a result.
For Emma, feeling strong goes hand-in-hand with self-care.
“I think it’s also getting older and really thinking about what your day-to-day life entails,” she explains.
“For a long time, I was just running on empty really – because I’ve got three kids, I worked all the time, and life can just get really hectic and heavy.
“And I was always at the bottom of the priority list, because I wanted to make sure everyone else was OK and everything was getting done,” says Emma, mum to Isabelle, 13, Ace, 11, and Trixie, six.
“I had to step back and go, you know what, I will be at my best and my strongest for my family if I take a bit of time to prioritise myself every now and then.”
She’s achieved this through exercise, mainly Pilates and strength training, while her husband, Busted musician Matt Willis, “has got me into cold plunges, which I can’t quite believe because I hate every second, but I feel great when I get out,” she adds.
“And breathing. I’ve never been able to meditate – I’ve always kind of rolled my eyes at that a little bit – but now at night I’ll put on a body scan app and do that, and read and fall asleep, and sleep well. That makes a massive difference.
“So, all the things I once thought were a bit boring, I do now. And I feel great, it sets me up for the day.”
In Absolute Collagen’s survey, over half of the women aged 35+ polled said quality family time gave them a sense of strength.
It’s something that’s especially important for Emma. Her elder female relatives have been an inspiration throughout her life, she says, citing her mum, nan and greataunts as role-models when she was little.
“We’re a really tight family, and we all lived around the corner from our grandparents and my nan’s sisters,” she recalls of growing up in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham.
“They were of that generation, you know, they lived through a war.
“They were phenomenally strong women and they had so much getup-and-go, they just cracked on and didn’t moan. It was a very specific type of woman, I think, that lived through that.
“They were also incredibly loving and nurturing, and they were fun, really fun. My mum is still like that – 70 going on 17 – and she’s always the person I want to have with me on a night out. Because I know if I get tired and flaky, she’ll keep me going,” Emma adds, laughing.
“And she’s been incredible, it’s inspiring, and she’s been very supportive and encouraging.
“Luckily, I’ve had a family of strong women around me.”
Describing her parents as a “strong couple”, Emma says they’ve been “really inspirational to me and Matt”.
Quality time together isn’t something Emma is taking for granted.
“For me, it’s really important that Matt and I spend time together, and that we check in with each other, and we talk and have conversations and time to ourselves,” she says.
“It’s also important that my time with my kids is not just when I come in from work, getting them dinner, watching them eat and then putting them to bed. When they say, ‘Will you play with me?’ I want to say yes, because that’s massively important, and that connection.
“I often hear myself going, ‘ Yeah, in a minute, I’ve just got to...’ – and I stop myself and think, ‘I haven’t just got to put the dishwasher on, the dishwasher can wait’. My daughter has asked to play with me, and I don’t want her to think I was always saying, ‘I’ll do it in a minute’.”
Her kids have given her a stronger sense of strength, too.
“Every time I’m kind of going, ‘Oh God, I can’t do this!’, they’re the ones that put everything into perspective, and I kind of go, ‘I can do this, I will do this’.
“And I need to show them that they can do anything they want to do, as long as they put in the time and effort, and they work hard and treat people well.
“You’ve got to believe you can achieve what you want to achieve and have the strength to do it.
“I have to pull a poker face sometimes and pretend everything’s great” Emma laughs. “But yes, they are the reason I do everything.
“And they’ve made me live in the moment. Before kids, I just kind of bopped around – and that was fantastic because I had a great time.
“But now I try to live every day to the max. They’ve made me appreciate every day I have with them.”
Luckily, I’ve had a family of strong women around me Emma on her upbringing
Emma Willis has partnered with Absolute Collagen for their ‘Strong in your own skin’ campaign. Visit absolutecollagen.com/ strong-in-your-skin