Emma Willis
Ceremonies and celebrations are supposed to make people feel seen. But most do the opposite. Employees can tell within minutes whether an occasion is being run for them or at them. The host is almost always the deciding factor.
For organisations where the success of an awards ceremony, gala, or internal celebration depends on who is holding the room, Emma Willis brings more than two decades of live broadcast hosting across the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, and Netflix; experience that translates directly to occasions where audience connection cannot be manufactured.
Full Profile
Why organisations work with Emma Willis
- Two decades of live presenting across every major UK broadcaster, plus Netflix, develops a capacity to read a room under pressure and adapt in real time that most available hosts simply do not have. That composure is the product.
- Her six-series run on Big Brother (2013-2018) required managing emotionally unpredictable situations live, on camera, with no preparation time. Her skill set (firm pacing, genuine empathy, zero visible panic) is directly transferable to panel discussions, live Q&As, or award presentations that do not go to plan.
- The W Channel’s “Delivering Babies,” for which she trained and qualified as a Maternity Care Assistant, won the Broadcast Digital Award for Best Popular Factual for three consecutive years. It is evidence that when she commits to a subject, the result is award-winning rather than merely competent.
- Her appointment to BBC Radio 2’s Saturday lunchtime slot from January 2026, taking over from Zoe Ball, reflects the institutional trust that comes with consistently delivering at the highest level of British broadcasting, a validation that is straightforward for senior buyers to cite.
- As a Prince’s Trust ambassador, she brings an existing, public relationship with purpose-driven work to occasions where charitable giving or social commitments are part of the event’s agenda.
Biography highlights
- Broadcast presenter since 2002; major credits across the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, and Netflix
- Main host of Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother, Channel 5 (2013-2018)
- Presenter of The Voice UK (2014-present), initially BBC One then ITV; also hosted The Voice Kids UK
- Co-host of Love Is Blind: UK alongside Matt Willis, Netflix (2024)
- BBC Radio 2 Saturday lunchtime presenter from January 2026
- Broadcast Digital Award for Best Popular Factual, three consecutive years (Delivering Babies, W Channel)
- Prince’s Trust ambassador
- Former fashion model; campaigns for Gap, Chanel, and Samsung; editorial work for Marie Claire, Elle, and Vogue
Biography
Live occasions are unforgiving. A host who is technically capable but emotionally disconnected leaves the room cold; one who is warm but underprepared leaves it chaotic. Emma Willis has spent more than two decades navigating both risks: across reality television, talent competitions, factual documentary, entertainment, and radio, formats as different from each other as any two occasions a programme director might need to anchor.
Her television career began at MTV in 2002 and expanded through Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother (Channel 5, 2013-2018), The Voice UK (BBC One then ITV, 2014-present), The Circle (Channel 4), and Love Is Blind: UK (Netflix, 2024, with her husband Matt Willis). Each format demanded a different register: firm management of contestants under pressure, warmth with young singers, curiosity about social dynamics, empathy in emotionally complex moments. The consistency across all of them is not a personality trait, it is a professional discipline.
In 2019, Willis trained and qualified as a Maternity Care Assistant for the W Channel’s “Delivering Babies” series, working real shifts in a real maternity ward, not observing as a celebrity. The series won the Broadcast Digital Award for Best Popular Factual for three consecutive years. The project illustrated something her broadcast career had long implied: a genuine capacity to be present on the subject’s terms, not her own.
From January 2026, she presents BBC Radio 2’s Saturday lunchtime slot, one of the most scrutinised appointments in British broadcasting. She is a Prince’s Trust ambassador. Her early career as a fashion model, with campaigns for Gap, Chanel, and Samsung and editorial work for Marie Claire, Elle, and Vogue gives her a credible platform to speak on fashion, personal style, and media at occasions where those subjects are part of the agenda.
Key speaking topics
- Live broadcast presenting and audience connection
- Fashion, personal style, and public image
- Resilience and personal reinvention
- Authenticity in public and professional life
- Charitable work and purpose-driven engagement
- Career development and life transitions
Ideal for
- Awards ceremonies, gala dinners, and internal celebration events
- Brand launches and consumer-facing occasions
- Charity fundraisers and purpose-led events
- Fashion, lifestyle, and consumer industry conferences
Audience outcomes
- An occasion that is paced, emotionally responsive, and memorable rather than merely completed
- A sense that the room was hosted for the people in it, not managed at them
- Consistent energy and composure across a full live programme, including unscripted moments
- Confidence in the platform from the moment the event begins
- Where relevant, personal insight on resilience, authenticity, and life in the public eye that participants can apply beyond the occasion itself