The Voice UK | Interview with Emma Willis

How does it feel to be back presenting The Voice for series 11?

I’m just so chuffed that it’s still going! I’ve obviously done nine out of the eleven series as I didn’t do the first two but even that is essentially a decade of doing it. When you’ve been doing something for that long, it’s always lovely to go back because it’s everyone you know, and it feels like it’s your holiday time with your mates. It’s not really work because it’s so much fun.

Having been the show’s anchor for all these years, what do you think The Voice has that has enabled it to stand the test of time?

Because it has pure talent on it. No matter what happens after the show finishes, you are guaranteed every week to see a member of the public with a phenomenal talent. People who you probably can encounter in everyday life, such as nurses, healthcare assistants, lorry drivers – they are the Great British public just coming in and blowing our socks off with these voices that you would never know they had. I’d also say our coaches too because they love it so much and I think you can see that, it’s all just really genuine.

What’s your favourite thing about presenting The Voice?

The people – whether that’s the coaches in the chairs, the crew that work behind the scenes or the contestants that you meet, I just love people – I’d be really good at Neighbourhood Watch! I really enjoy chatting to the contestants and hearing about their lives but I also love listening to the coaches have a natter, especially when Tom is regaling another phenomenal story or singing the most beautiful song which often makes me cry. That man is incredibly special. He is an absolute icon and commands respect without actually commanding anything. He’s a genuinely wonderful man who is possibly one of the most talented people I’ve ever had the privilege to watch perform.

How do you feel the show has changed and evolved in the many years that you’ve been presenting it?

I think it’s embraced itself for how lovely it is. It was very serious and dramatic in the beginning. For the contestants it is that, but it’s also a singing talent show. There is enough doom and gloom in the world so on a Saturday night, when you’re sitting down with your family, you need to see something that’s uplifting, fun and enjoyable to watch. Even though it still has its very serious, sincere and touching moments, it also brings a lot of fun and light.

How have you found it being back to presenting to a live audience?

It’s been amazing to have an audience again. Gradually, each year, we’re getting something else back. There is nothing like a live audience – the coaches feed off it, I feed off it, the contestants feed off it. They’re an integral part to the show so it’s brilliant to have them back. The only thing missing now is we need to get rid of the distance. I need to hug again. I need to jump on people and hug them and pick up kids and spin them around. I’ve literally got a two-metre mark on the floor which I can’t cross and I cannot tell you how hard it is.

In terms of the contest contestants, do you feel like they thrive off the live audience or do you feel like it creates extra nerves?

I think it does both to be honest. It’s terrifying walking out there with nobody in the room because it’s such a massive space that you’re walking into. And then you’ve got four coaches and roughly four hundred other people just staring at you so it’s really daunting. But the audience give so much and the contestant performs to that audience so they have this amazing 90 seconds on stage together. But those nerves are needed as well because if you go out there all confident, sometimes that’s the thing that trips you up. So, the nerves kind of keep you on your toes a little bit and keep you conscious in that moment.

What are the dynamics like between all of the coaches?

Will is the King of one-liners and quite naughty. Then Anne-Marie joined and she’s the Queen of one-liners and is also quite naughty. So together at the end, there’s a lot of giggling, they’re a bit like the fun, cheeky kids in class.Tom is the mature, naughty one. He has a lot of experience but is still super playful. Then Olly is the cheeky chappy so really, they’re all just quite naughty and that works brilliantly. Olly and Tom have a fantastic relationship as well. They’re always pulling each other’s legs and poking fun at each other. They absolutely adore one another but are massively competitive as well in the nicest possible way.

Would you say that there’s been a standout moment you have from filming this year?

We always love it when a coach sings. They are begged constantly to do it and they don’t always but in the first episode, you just know when Tom takes that microphone, that it’s always going to be effortless and perfect. Then he tells you about the song and why he wrote it and there is not a dry eye in the house. You can see how much respect everybody has for him.

The way all the other coaches look at him, even though they’re at the top of their game as well, you can see in their eyes that pure admiration for him. For me, that has to be my standout moment because I was quite literally a mess on the floor when it happened.

From a contestant point of view, I don’t think we’ve ever had anybody quite like Mark Howard, It really got to him. He was crying before he walked on stage and even before he’d finished the song. That really stood out because he had no self-belief whatsoever and you always wonder, why don’t they have that confidence? It’s humbling when somebody who is so sweet and talented just has no idea how great they are. But at the same time, you want to go ‘dude, run with it, you’re bloody brilliant’.

The shows that you front and host are so wide ranging from the big shiny floor entertainment shows to more serious factual documentaries. Do you feel like you have to wear different hats when you’re taking on those projects?

Although they’re different projects, I navigate them all the same way because at the centre of everything that I do is people, real people that do real things. Your subject matter might be different, whether it’s singing or babies, but it’s people-centred care. That’s what you do in a hospital and that’s what I do on The Voice.

You’ve been at the centre of UK television for almost two decades have there been any standout career defining moments?

I think my most pinch-me, how the hell am I stood here moment was presenting The Brits with Dermot because I’ve watched that my whole life. It’s an appointment to view every single year and I never missed it without fail. I love music, I love telly and I love Dermot and all of a sudden we were hosting it. That was a massive highlight. I’d also have to say hosting Big Brother because I’d watched it since day dot, was a huge fan and that show really changed my career.

What other projects are you presenting at the moment that you can tell us about? We’ve just filmed a new series of Delivering Babies. We are back on the ward at the Princess Alexandra and are going back post-pandemic, finding out what life has been like for them over the past three years. But we’re also making sure that the ladies and their babies are front and centre. I’m also training more so I’m moving up a level from an MCA to a Maternity Support Worker, which is incredible. A new level of training and a new set of skills.

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