Emma Willis

Emma Willis
Born Emma Griffiths
18 March 1976
Residence London, England
Nationality British
Occupation Television host, broadcaster, former model
Years active 2002–present
Employer BBC, Channel 5, ITV, Heart FM
Known for I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW! (2007–08)
Big Brother's Bit on the Side (2011–15)
This Morning (2012–14)
Girlfriends (2012–13)
Sunday Morning Breakfast (2012–)
Big Brother (2013–)
Prize Island (2013)
The Voice UK (2014–)
Prized Apart (2015—)
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Spouse(s) Matt Willis (m. 2008)
Children 2
Website
Official website

Emma Willis (née Griffiths; born 18 March 1976)[1] is an English television presenter and former model, best known for her television and radio work with Channel 5, BBC, ITV and Heart FM.[2][3][4]

Willis has presented Big Brother since 2013, and she also presented spin off show Big Brother's Bit on the Side from its inception in 2011 until February 2015. Since 2014, she has co-presented The Voice UK alongside Marvin Humes. She also hosts the Sunday breakfast show on Heart FM with Stephen Mulhern.

Early life

Willis was born in Birmingham, England, and grew up in nearby Sutton Coldfield. She has an older sister.[5] Willis attended John Willmott School in Sutton Coldfield. She began modelling at the age of 17[6] and during her career, has worked for magazines, retailers, and companies such as Marie Claire, Elle, Vogue, GAP and Chanel.[7]

Career

Willis got her first big break presenting on MTV in 2002 before presenting various other shows including guest hosting for shows such as CD:UK, This Morning and Loose Women.

ITV

In 2007, Willis presented ITV2 spin-off series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW! with her husband Matt before departing in 2008.

In September 2012, Willis became a permanent presenter on This Morning, presenting segments in The Hub, taking over from Coleen Nolan. She is also a stand-in presenter on the main show when Holly Willoughby or Ruth Langsford are absent.[8]

“ Working with Phillip, Holly, Eamonn and Ruth has been nothing but a pleasure, so knowing I will officially be part of the family from October is really exciting. I can't wait to get cracking. ”

On 26 September 2012, Willis began hosting ITV2 show Girlfriends.

On 16 November 2012, Willis was drafted in to guest anchor Loose Women and has since presented on several occasions as a stand-in presenter. She covered for Carol Vorderman after she broke her nose in April 2013. She has also guest presented The Paul O'Grady Show, while O'Grady was away.

In 2013, Willis co-presented the ITV game show Prize Island with Alexander Armstrong. The show had not returned since.[9]

In 2015, Willis was a team captain on the six-part ITV2 comedy panel show Reality Bites.[10] She She is also a popular choice to replace Dermot O'Leary for Series 12 of The X Factor

Channel 4

In 2007, Willis guest hosted the tenth week of Big Brother's Big Mouth. In 2010, Willis began presenting a Celebrity Big Brother online spin-off show entitled Celebrity Big Brother's Big i. While presenting the online spinoff in the same series, Willis also presented another edition of Big Mouth when Davina McCall entered the Big Brother house as part of a task. She was then later announced as the new co-presenter on the final series of Big Brother's Little Brother, hosting opposite George Lamb.

Channel 5

In 2010, it was announced that Willis would replace Melinda Messenger on the Channel 5 series Live from Studio Five, but after only two months, Willis, herself, announced she would be departing in order to co-present Big Brother's Little Brother and was therefore replaced by Jayne Middlemiss.[5]

In 2011, it was confirmed that she would be returning to the revived series, presenting the spin-off show Big Brother's Bit on the Side.

On 13 March 2013, it was reported that Brian Dowling would be axed from Big Brother[11] and be replaced by Willis with a source saying, "Brian has been a great host but Emma is seen by channel chiefs as a true successor to Davina. They're talking to her now about taking over the role from the summer."[5] It was later confirmed, on 2 April 2013 by Channel 5 that Willis would be replacing Dowling as the new host of Big Brother.[4][12] On 13 June 2013, she began presenting the fourteenth series of Big Brother.

Even though Willis presents the main Big Brother and celebrity series, she still continues to host the spin-off show Bit on the Side, sharing the presenting duties with Rylan Clark. On 2 February 2015, it was announced that Willis was to present her final edition of Bit on the Side that night, and Clark would take over as the main presenter of the spin off show.[13]

On 30 March 2014, Willis presented the Mum of the Year Awards, with the highlights being shown on Channel 5 that same evening.[14]


BBC

In mid-2013, Willis was confirmed as the replacement for Holly Willoughby on the BBC One talent show The Voice UK. On 11 January 2014, she began co-presenting the third series with JLS singer Marvin Humes, who replaced Reggie Yates.[15]

In March 2014, it was announced that The Voice UK had been renewed for two future series.[16] Both Willis and Humes returned to the show for the fourth series in 2015.

“ The Voice is an absolutely brilliant TV show with the unique ability to showcase and nurture amazing raw talent. I couldn't be more excited to be a part of it and I cannot wait to get started. ”

In Spring 2015, Willis and Reggie Yates will co-host a Saturday night game show called Prized Apart on BBC One.[17]

Radio

On 5 August 2012, Willis began co-presenting Sunday Morning Breakfast with Stephen Mulhern across the Heart Network.[18]

Awards

In September 2013, Willis received a longlist nomination for 'Most Popular Entertainment Presenter' at the National Television Awards in 2014. It was her second successive longlist nomination for the award.[19]

Personal life

On 5 July 2008, Emma Griffiths married Busted member Matt Willis at Rushton Hall, Northamptonshire after three years of dating. The wedding was featured in OK magazine.[20][21] She gave birth to their first child, daughter Isabelle Catherine Willis, on 20 June 2009[22] in Portland Hospital, London.[23] On 25 November 2011, the couple had a baby boy, Ace Billy Willis. She is an Aston Villa supporter, her hometown club.

Willis is an ambassador for The Prince's Trust.

Filmography

Television
Year Title Role Episodes
2002–03 MTV UK Presenter
2003–05 Total Request Live Presenter
2005, 2007, 2010 Big Brother's Big Mouth Guest Presenter Big Brother 6 – Day 42, Big Brother 8 – Week 10, Celebrity Big Brother 7 – Day 24
2007–08 I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW! Co-presenter Series 7–8
2008 Red Bull Flugtag Co-presenter
27 Dresses: Movie Special Presenter One-off episode
2010 Live from Studio Five[24] Co-presenter Series 1
The Real Hustle Herself 18 February
2010 Big Brother's Little Brother Co-presenter Series 11 and Ultimate Big Brother
2011—2015 Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side Co-presenter (2011—2015) Celebrity Big Brother 8—Celebrity Big Brother 15
Big Brother's Bit on the Side Co-presenter (2011—2014) Big Brother 12—Big Brother 15
2012–14
This Morning Hub Presenter Mondays and Tuesdays
This Morning Stand-in Presenter 14 episodes
Loose Women Guest Anchor 7 episodes
2012–13 Girlfriends[25] Presenter All
2013 Les Miserables: Movie Special Co-presenter One-off episode
Speidi: Scandal, Secrets & Surgery! Narrator One-off episode
2013— Big Brother Presenter Big Brother 14—
Celebrity Big Brother Presenter Celebrity Big Brother 12—
2013 Prize Island Co-presenter All
2013 The Paul O'Grady Show Guest Presenter 20 November
2014— The Voice UK Co-presenter Series 3—
2014 Mum of the Year Awards Presenter One-off episode
2015— Reality Bites Team Captain All
2015— Prized Apart Co-presenter All
Guest TV appearances

References

  1. ↑ Cains, Eleanor (18 March 2014). "Celebrity birthdays: 5 things you didn’t know about Emma Willis". Yahoo! Celebrity. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  2. ↑ Big Brother: Brian Dowling to be replaced by Emma Willis as host? – Big Brother News – Reality TV. Digital Spy (13 March 2013). Retrieved on 31 March 2014.
  3. ↑ Leigh, Rob. (13 March 2013) Big Brother: Emma Willis 'in running to take over from Brian Dowling' – Mirror Online. Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved on 31 March 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Emma Willis replaces Brian Dowling as presenter of ‘Big Brother’. Telly Spy (2 April 2013). Retrieved on 31 March 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Emma Willis in gear for Style In The City". Birmingham Post (Trinity Mirror). 3 September 2009. Archived from the original on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  6. ↑ Martin, Charlotte (11 August 2010). "Isabelle is a Bundle of joy!". The Sun.
  7. ↑ Hebenton, Alana. "INTERVIEWING EMMA WILLIS". Baby Surrey.
  8. ↑ Emma Willis | Presenters & Experts | This Morning. Itv.com (4 September 2013). Retrieved on 31 March 2014.
  9. ↑ Emma Willis show 'Prize Island' to be axed by ITV? – TV News. Digital Spy (25 June 2013). Retrieved on 31 March 2014.
  10. ↑
  11. ↑ "Brian Dowling Axed?". Being Big Brother. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  12. ↑ Emma Willis replaces Brian Dowling as new Channel 5 Big Brother host – Big Brother News – Reality TV. Digital Spy (2 April 2013). Retrieved on 31 March 2014.
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ Emma Willis revealed as Tesco Mum of the Year Awards host. Tescoliving.com (20 March 2014). Retrieved on 31 March 2014.
  15. ↑ Big Brother's Emma Willis announced as new presenter of 'The Voice' UK – The Voice News – Reality TV. Digital Spy (14 September 2013). Retrieved on 31 March 2014.
  16. ↑ The Voice UK renewed for two more series – The Voice News – Reality TV. Digital Spy. Retrieved on 31 March 2014.
  17. ↑
  18. ↑ Stephen Mulhurn and Emma Willis Heart
  19. ↑ 2014 National Television Awards – Longlist Nominations digitalspy.co.uk. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  20. ↑ "What Matt goes to church for". The Sun. News Group Newspapers Ltd. 10 July 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  21. ↑ "Matt Willis weds Emma Griffiths fresh out of rehab". mirror.co.uk. MGN Limited. 6 July 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  22. ↑ "Willis, Griffiths welcome baby daughter". Digital Spy Limited. 22 June 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  23. ↑ Matt and Emma Willis have a baby girl. Nowmagazine.co.uk (23 June 2009). Retrieved on 31 March 2014.
  24. ↑ Biz, TV (17 March 2010). "Five back Emma as a Live star". The Sun.
  25. ↑ Three ITV Press Centre, 3 May 2012

External links