Quitting BBC is heavenly for Emily as she enjoys £10k fitness freebie

SHE endured a few bruising battles during her time at the BBC and was reprimanded by Corporation bosses for her Newsnight monologue about Dominic Cummings’s trip to Barnard Castle while a lockdown was in force.

So Emily Maitlis might have been expected to enjoy a relaxing break before starting her new job presenting a podcast for Global.

But instead she embarked on a £10,000 intensive fitness retreat in Italy, where she sweated it out with a Hollywood A-lister and a former member of Donald Trump’s staff.

Now free from BBC restrictions, Emily took up a complimentary trip to The Ranch Italy – an offshoot of

California’s The Ranch Malibu, whose clients include Elle Macpherson and actress Rebel Wilson – and wrote a gushing review in return.

Describing daily four-hour hikes, Emily said: ‘After two hours, they radio you to tell you to turn back – and you follow the flags back home, like Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road.’

However, she admitted that having to carry walking poles killed her ‘cool vibe.’

Emily enthuses about the free massages saying: ‘This becomes my focal point for every single day. It’s magical and professional and caring and releasing.

‘It’s heaven.’

It’s not all glamorous, though, as guests at The Ranch have to give urine samples and buy into New Age trends by writing letters to their future selves. But it seems Emily bought into it all, reporting that the retreat even worked medical miracles, making her painful foot condition plantar fasciitis disappear. Fancy!

TALK about making an entrance – the Marchioness of Blandford’s sister Belle Evelegh gave birth to a daughter last week – in a hospital foyer! Her husband Justin even helped to deliver baby Amelia at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital after a shorter than expected labour. Luckily, Justin’s quick thinking – he carried Belle into the hospital himself – ensured that Amelia was not born in his beloved car. ‘My husband is very precious about his car – I’m not even allowed to eat my croissant in there for fear of dropping crumbs,’ jokes Belle, far left, with sister Camilla Thorp, who is married to the Marquess of Blandford.

‘MAGICAL’: The Ranch Italy where Emily, below, was rejuvenated