Emma Willis

Seeking answers after an unexplained bout of illness and lethargy led TV darling and mum-of-three Emma Willis to overhaul her diet, exercise and self-care habits. Now back in action, she explains how she did it – and why her renewed love for her body meant she wanted no one else to launch our Project Body Love confidence campaign

mma Willis is shocked. Can you imagine? The warm, optimistic anchor of The Voice, who has established herself as one of the nation’s best-loved presenters, is rarely seen without a megawatt grin on her face. But, right now, her brow is furrowed. We’re talking about Women’s Health’s Project Body Love campaign, and she’s reeling from some of the statistics that we’ve just shared with her.

‘The stat that shocked me the most was that 80% of 10-year-old girls have been on a diet,’ the Birmingham-born 43-yearold says incredulously. ‘Having a daughter around 10 myself, that is shocking. I think back to when I was 10, and I was just playing in the mud. Not watching other people and thinking about diets.’

She shakes her head and leans back on the plush sofa. We’re sitting in a fancy London hotel bar, and Emma fits in perfectly with the glossy surroundings, her immaculate blonde quiff making heads turn in recognition. It’s a few days before she’ll jump in an early-morning cab and make her way to windy, wild Dungeness in Kent for an up-against-theelements WH photo shoot to snap the images you see here. Having dressed herself this morning, she’s wearing a chic white T-shirt and check trouser suit that looks quietly expensive, which she mentions she designed herself as part of her collection for Next; very on-brand for her vibe of widely accessible stylishness.

CONFIDENCE TRICK

Having kids has made Emma think more carefully about the language she uses when talking about her body, she tells me. As mother to Isabelle, nine, Ace, seven, and two-year-old Trixie (with Busted bassist Matt Willis – more on him later), she’s determined to help them to create a healthy acceptance of their bodies. ‘I tell my children they’re beautiful, but that’s as much about their character as the way they look,’ she says. ‘We never talk about size or what’s “normal”, as everyone is unique. And I definitely don’t mention things that might worry me about my own body in front of them.’ Emma knows how much a child’s formative years can impact their body image, crediting her mum for doing it the right way. ‘I can’t remember my mum ever talking in a negative way about her body,’ she says. ‘It was just her body. We grew up seeing her in a bikini on holiday, or getting out of the shower. We’ve always been quite open in that respect.’

But, of course, Emma is aware that having a healthy attitude at home is only part of the equation, when social media beams images directly into the palms of our hands. She also acknowledges the part that beautiful people in the public eye – of which, let’s face it, she is one – have to play in reinforcing an unrealistic idea of what ‘beautiful’ means.

‘It comes down to an individual’s responsibility to put out a realistic view of themselves,’ she says firmly. ‘You have to be honest. Particularly in my area of work. Anything that I put on social media, I want to be a genuine reflection of me, and not some sort of ideal. We’ve got to look after each other, and the future generations. They’re the ones that I worry about, having grown up with social media.’

While younger Emma didn’t have to deal with Instagram et al, she did start out as a model – a profession that notoriously breeds insecurity.

‘I was 18 years old and a size 10 when I started modelling, but I was told to lose weight right away,’ she admits. ‘And I would only ever be shot from above the knees, because I didn’t have model-skinny legs. Since then, I’ve never liked wearing skirts because I don’t have a good relationship with my legs and, subconsciously, it probably comes from that.’ She exhales thoughtfully. ‘I was extremely happy when that part of my career fizzled out and telly happened, because I didn’t have to think about it any more.

‘I know that lots of people who work in telly feel under pressure to look a certain way,’ she continues. ‘But, for me, it was much easier than where I had come from. Modelling was all about body image but

[as a presenter] I felt like I could be me.’

I raise a slightly cynical eyebrow. ‘Well…’ she begins. ‘I do remember being told that I should probably have long hair. I wasn’t directly told to but, you know… “It’ll be a bit softer.” Yeah, you do get little tips from people: “Grow your hair, put a dress on,” that kind of thing. But these are the clothes I like, this is the hair I like, this is the make-up I like and – not being rude – if you don’t like it, you don’t have to wear it.’ She pauses, then adds, ‘It’s normally coming from men, so I listen even less!’ Then, as if to illustrate her point about the Willis brand of gloriously imperfect realness, she interrupts herself with: ‘Gah, I’ve got gravy on my trousers.’

MIND AND BODY

Emma’s built a career on being cheery, but she admits that, earlier this year, she was feeling low. Low mood, low energy, low everything. ‘Normally, I’m a very positive, happy person and suddenly I wasn’t, and that really affected me.’ Initially, she put it down to the January blues, but – a classic overthinker – she worked herself up and wanted answers.

‘I went to see a nutritionist, who did some tests, and it turned out to be lots of different things that were all over the place,’ Emma reveals. ‘Stress, inflammation in my body, as well as being puffy and bloated, and I was just knackered. You don’t realise that those things affect your body in the way that they do, until you’re not in a good place. I had to reassess everything.’

The nutritionist suggested lifestyle changes that Emma could make immediately, including low-impact exercise to avoid stress on her body, and cutting out sugar and dairy.

‘Physically, I have noticed a big difference,’ she says. ‘My mind feels clearer, less foggy,

‘These are the clothes I like, this is the hair I like, this is the make-up I like – you don’t have to wear it’

I’m less tired, and my body functions properly as it should.’ At this point, she leans into my dictaphone and whispers: ‘She shits every day.’

Aware that what works for her won’t work for everyone, Emma’s keen to emphasise that she reached this diagnosis after tests revealed results specific to her. ‘I’m not saying everybody should give up dairy,’ she explains. ‘It’s not even a long-term thing for me. It’s about stripping my diet back and then reintroducing things to see what was causing my body not to work as well as it can. I know that sugar is unhealthy; sugar and my body are not friends.’

WHERE THE HEART IS

Just as Emma puts in the graft to find a way of eating that suits her body best, nailing the right fitness regime is a work-in-progress, too. ‘I’ve had to reassess everything because of those blood tests – I was knackered, really – so my approach to exercise is quite sporadic,’ she explains. ‘I was recommended training that didn’t put any extra stress on my body, so I’ve been doing reformer Pilates once or twice a week if I can. And I love it. I’m not very good at the mat-based stuff – with yoga, I’m like, what do you mean “breathe”? I can’t breathe, I’m stuck – but I feel like I actually achieve something with reformer Pilates.’

Emma’s an advocate of using exercise as a form of self-care, and practises what she preaches. ‘I went to The Body Camp in Ibiza about five months after I had Trixie, because I needed a bit of time for myself. I just needed some time to breathe and think about me for a second, so I went with a friend and had the most incredible week. It’s more than a boot camp – they focus equally on nutrition, exercise and mindfulness, so now I go every year. I give myself that one week a year where I go, right, Matt can look after the kids, this is for me to reset everything.’

Oh, yes, Matt Willis, one third of pogoing 00s scallywags Busted, who reformed in 2016 and released their fourth album, Half Way There, earlier this year. It’s funny picturing the heavily tattooed pop punk rocker in the domestic settings that Emma

describes when chatting about her new eating plan. ‘The other night, Matt was like, “What do you want for dinner?” And I was like, “I’m so bored of food. Boring food! I just want to eat cake!”’

Domestic life chez Willis sounds pretty relatable, and Emma is on a roll when lamenting the pressure of keeping up with good TV. ‘We’re watching The Handmaid’s Tale at the moment, but I still haven’t watched all of Line Of Duty,’ she says earnestly. ‘The trouble is, we go to bed early so we only get to watch one of anything. It takes years to get through all the telly you’re meant to be watching. And Game Of Thrones is back, and Peaky Blinders. It’s relentless.’

The struggle is real. And when the Willises are not working their way (slowly) through a box set, they’re, well, cleaning.

‘Matt is obsessed with Marie Kondo,’ she laughs. ‘ Obsessed! We started trying to follow her method – we did paperwork and I did the kids’ clothes – but I can’t do sentimental items. I have so many birthday cards, for all of us, from the important family members for the past 10 years.’ She catches my look of disbelief. ‘I know, I know it’s ridiculous but I can’t get rid of them. I’m a hoarder.’

LIVING IT UP

Emma’s self-deprecating, but not in a way that reeks of insecurity – just in the sense of having self-awareness and a refusal to take herself too seriously. She tells me it was an easy decision to take Matt’s surname when they got married, even for work,

‘With yoga, I’m like, what do you mean “breathe”? I can’t breathe, I’m stuck’

because, ‘no one really knew who I was – hahaha!’

They celebrated their tenth anniversary last summer with a big party at Rushton Hall in Northamptonshire, where they’d tied the knot a decade earlier. ‘It was amazing,’

Emma grins. ‘The weather was boiling, England were in the World Cup, all our friends were there… it was like a wedding without the pressure.’

It seems like this rocksolid, stable family life is the foundation underpinning her success. ‘Yeah, we’ve got a great family,’ she nods, smiling. ‘My parents are brilliant, I’m really close to both my sisters, Matt and I still super love each other… We’re really lucky.’

As for body confidence, the good news is, it gets easier.

‘It’s funny because, when I was younger, my body was “better”, but I was more insecure about it,’ she admits. ‘Then, in my thirties, I had children, so loved my body because of what it had produced. I’m also more aware as I get older of being healthy, and taking care of my body from the inside, rather than thinking about how it looks from the outside. I want it to last for as long as possible.’ So it turns out that wanting to stick around for the sake of your children is more of an incentive than having a hot body. Who knew? ‘Yes, you’re doing it to live, rather than because you want to fit into a pretty dress. Which seems bonkers, looking back at it. My priorities completely changed when I had children. The older I’ve got, the better my relationship with my body has become, and that’s because of my mindset. Now that I’m in my forties, I’m like…’ She leans back, smiles widely, arms outstretched: ‘This is me.’

‘I’m taking care of my body from the inside, rather than thinking about how it looks from the outside’