Emma Willis on Strictly, Gardening and the Crocs Controversy

Landing the Strictly role followed a clandestine audition process where producers used the fake title The Great Garden Glow-Up to maintain secrecy. Willis describes the experience as a welcome, if terrifying, return to large-scale live broadcasting. She balances these demanding shifts with her ongoing work on Cooking With The Stars alongside Tom Allen, a project she describes as competitive yet grounded in achievable, relatable moments.

Away from the cameras, the couple—married since 2008—has traded their former party-circuit lifestyle for home gardening. Despite their shared interests, the footwear Willis chooses for her outdoor tasks remains a point of contention. Matt, her husband and co-presenter on Netflix’s Love Is Blind, has famously labeled her signature Crocs as passion killers, though she remains unmoved, prioritizing comfort over his aesthetic concerns. This practical approach extends to her broader career, where her background in maternity care often leaves her unfazed by the minor on-set mishaps that occasionally occur during production.