EMMA Willis faces an awkward meeting with execs to discuss her future as presenter of The Voice as she prepares to become the new host of Strictly.
Fronting the BBC One show means she couldn’t also be at the helm of the ITV singing contest as they both air on a Saturday night throughout autumn.
Emma Willis is set to be one of the new hosts taking over from Tess and Claudia Credit: Getty
The former Strictly Hosts announced they’d be leaving the show last October Credit: PA
The Sun exclusively revealed how Emma, 50, was from and on Strictly, though it’s still not clear who’ll she be partnered with when the series resumes this September.
But long before her new role came on the horizon, , who’s previously been a face on ITV Channel 4 and 5, had already been building career bridges with the Beeb.
It’s mostly been one-off shows including Change Your Mind, Change Your Life, on , which looked at therapy, as well as Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction, which saw her appear alongside her hubby again, this time on BBC Three.
Plus, she started hosting a lunchtime show, from 1pm to 3pm, on from January of this year.
Emma faces an awkward meeting with execs to discuss her future as presenter of ITV’s The Voice Credit: ITV
Emma started hosting a lunchtime show, from 1pm to 3pm, on Radio 2 from January of this year
The move introduced her to another strata of the BBC audience – one that’s highly likely to be fans of .
She has never hidden her adoration of the BBC One dance show and Emma discussed it at length in 2021, just after her then
She said: “If I had time, I would do it in a heartbeat. Like I absolutely love it.
“I’ve been asked in the past but it’s always the time of year when we’re filming The Voice and The Circle.
“The Circle is not happening this year, but let’s hope The Voice is — otherwise I will be doing Strictly.”
But, tellingly, she has never been a competitor on the show, probably because she has been doing for the past five years on a Saturday night on ITV.
She is, however, in good company because before hosting Strictly, neither Tess, 57, nor Claudia, 54, were contestants on the show before fronting it.
An insider said: “No doubt Emma was advised by her team that she might be advised to hold tight and not be a contestant, because she could be in with a chance of being a presenter.
Emma, who has never hid her adoration of Strictly, had her Channel 4 show The Circle axed in 2021 Credit: Channel 4 / Rachel Joseph
Emma appeared alongside her hubby in Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction on BBC Three
“And that would have become more feasible than ever last autumn when The Voice didn’t return and Tess and Claudia announced their departure.”
Rumours in the industry are that Emma also turned down other presenting jobs, and didn’t return to shows such as her Delivering Babies documentary series for , as she streamlined her workload.
Another critical change in her life came in March when she turned 50 which, for many TV stars, is when they reassess their future.
For Claudia, the woman Emma is set to replace, the milestone birthday made her want to “start saying yes” to different things – and that policy saw her sign up to front the BBC’s other huge hit, .
Hitting the half century is also a bonus for anyone wanting to host Strictly because it became famous for having two middle aged women fronting it – which remains a rarity in the TV world.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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