Why Big Bro host called the midwives

Emma Willis seemed to have effortlessly conquered the world of TV – before her new documentary thrust her in a completely different direction. Training full-time as a maternity care assistant for the six-part series, Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, the 42-year-old Big Brother presenter was thrown in at the deep end. Having developed a stellar reputation for showbiz, the brave foray into a maternity ward has raised a few eyebrows. “It’s probably random to people who don’t know me,” defies Emma. “I grew up around the NHS with both of my parents working in a hospital. “I’ve always wanted to do a programme around hospitals. Luckily I met the amazing production team at Firecracker and this documentary is what they came back with. “It’s honestly been the most amazing experience and I could literally kiss them every day for the rest of my life!” It was by no means an easy ride, though. Working four shifts per week for three months – day and night – Emma didn’t take the role lightly. She said: “We had to do it properly, which meant doing the same hours as all other maternity care assistants in the hospital. “So I completely cleared my diary for those 12 weeks.” Despite this level of sheer commitment, Emma was aware of her detractors. “I felt like a huge impostor,” she recalls. “I was scared of being judged – that was my biggest fear. I remember walking into the unit on my first day and in the back of my head, going, ‘They think I’m just about to rock up for a couple of hours and go home. They think I’m playing.’ “But I couldn’t have been more wrong. They supported me the whole way.” Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, W, Monday, 10pm