Emma Willis on why The Voice has outlived X Factor, interviewing ‘d***s’ and her ‘biggest career challenge’ to date

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Since the host ditched a modelling career to join “TV presenting university” MTV, bouncing around interviewing early-Noughties pop stars alongside fellow alumni Laura Whitmore and Melvin Odoom, the immensely likeable host has become TV producers’ most reliable booking: she’s as comfortable chit chatting on the sofa of This Morning as she is taking on reality behemoths like Big Brother and Love Is Blind – the first UK outing of which was one of Netflix’s biggest hits in August. I’m married to a musician so I know how difficult that can be.” open image in gallery ‘We’re not there to stitch people up:’ Emma Willis on why ‘The Voice UK’ has endured Willis describes presenting The Voice as “easy” – after all, she gets to hear daily anecdotes shared by Sir Tom flipping Jones. “I think when you are hosting shows like that there’s obviously gonna be controversy in some way and, even if it’s not down to you, you are the person that is held accountable for it in the press because you’re the face of it.” I know this sounds real cringe, but it’s also really joyful to watch Emma Willis on presenting ‘The Voice’ She takes a considered pause. Then they said, ‘Would you talk to us for a couple of days?’ and I was like, ‘If you need that viewpoint, then yes.’ When we got to the end of it, it was a different thing to how it started.” Willis says she had initial concerns as she “always thought it’s not really my story to tell”, but states: “Actually, the more we’ve lived through that and got to this point, I’ve realised, yes, it’s his experience but that experience is also mine – and also the experience of millions in some way, shape or form.” The result was Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction, a documentary that’s currently available to stream on BBC iPlayer.