Emma Willis has said she would break down in tears at home after a long day of filming emotional Delivering Babies in an exclusive interview with Yahoo.
Delivering Babies is worlds away from her work as a presenter on reality TV shows like Big Brother and Love Is Blind UK. Filming the UKTV Original series has really had a huge impact on the presenter’s life from the moment she first stepped onto a maternity ward in 2018 as a trainee Maternity Care Assistant. In the latest fourth series of Delivering Babies, the pressure is on as Willis faces the new challenge of moving to Watford General Hospital as a Maternity Support Worker.
Willis told Yahoo: “There’s always tears to be honest. Honestly, it’s physically, emotionally and mentally a challenge in every way. And there are tears, happy tears when you see babies arrive in the world because it’s absolutely beautiful to witness.
“There are tears when I get home because I think I’m gonna fail or I think I can’t do it or I think I shouldn’t be there, all that kind of all the imposter syndrome that bubbles away underneath because you’re in a world that isn’t really yours. That’s not your everyday life. But it’s just all worth it every time you go in and you can contribute in some way and it just makes everything worth it.”
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The pressure is on
Working 12-hour shifts three days a week while juggling her normal job was no easy feat but Willis mastered it. “It is the most rewarding because it’s real life and it’s a really magical time that you get to witness in a family’s life,” she said. Admittedly though, the presenter said she found this series of Delivering Babies tough because of the change of scene.
There is no doubt that Willis is fabulous – with her fierce determination, incredible TV career of more than 20 years and her experience so far on the maternity ward behind her. However, the former Celebrity Big Brother presenter found herself mounting the pressure onto herself while filming.
She said: “The most challenging part of this series, I think, was the fact that we went somewhere new with a whole new bunch of people and that’s no reflection on them. It wasn’t challenging because they were challenging or difficult. It’s the pressure I put on myself really to want to be good enough and to be accepted by everybody.
“It was classic new girl at school situation. I was really, really nervous. There was a lot of anxiety but I’m really glad that we did, actually, because it would have been very easy to kind of stay where I was and to stay safe and in my little comfortable bubble.
“But I think it’s good to push yourself out of your comfort zone every now and then. And this certainly did that. I know how to help people on The Voice. I’m very good at it. But taking catheters out and drawing blood, that’s something I need much more practice with.”
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Support at home from Matt Willis
After the long days at the maternity hospital, Willis would return home to her husband Matt who would be on hand to comfort her or listen to her. Behind the scenes, her husband has been an unwavering support.
“Matt’s amazing,” she said. “He’s brilliant. He’s there to listen. He’s there to share the load and a lot of the time he’s there to carry the whole load. He preps my meals for me and sends me off with the packed lunch. He’s wicked. He’s great. Brings my shoes when I forget them!”
This year has been an important year for the showbiz power couple. Off screen the couple marked their 16th wedding anniversary together and on-screen they hosted reality series Love Is Blind. As well as juggling their high-profile entertainment jobs, they raise their three children – Isabelle, Ace and Trixie.
With all the glitz and glamour of showbiz, it is her family who are her complete world. “The most important thing to me is my family,” she said. “Without a shadow of a doubt. It’s them and them and them every day for the rest of my life. They are the most meaningful thing and the only thing that has any real importance to me.”
Emma Willis says Jools Oliver will be an ‘amazing midwife’
When it comes to work, Delivering Babies will always have a special place in Willis’ heart. Four series in, the women who feature on the show still amaze the star. She explained: “I’ve just witnessed it now multiple time and it’s how extraordinary women are. Whether that is women during labour and birth or the women that are supporting the labouring women during labour birth. We’re quite f**king incredible.”
Delivering Babies has captured the attention of viewers with its heartwarming and emotional scenes. Among them, a big fan of the show is Jamie Oliver’s wife Jools. Recently, Jools decided to have a career change as she has decided to train to become a midwife – with the news delighting Willis.
She said: “Is Jools really? I’m so bloody pleased because Jools is an absolute gem of a human. I think to do that job [midwifery] you need to be a wonderful human being and she is. She absolutely perfectly fitted. She needs no advice from me! She’s got five kids of her own hasn’t she?
“She knows, she’s a wonderful human, she knows about babies because she’s had lots of them, she’s used to high pressured situations I imagine because she’s married to a chef and she’s just a really warm, caring, beautiful human. She would be, OMG! Imagine Jools looking after you through labour and birth that would be incredible. She would be an amazing midwife.”
In response, Jools – who has her five children Poppy, Daisy, Petal, Buddy and River with chef Oliver – hailed Willis as an “inspiration” to her.
She told Yahoo: “That’s such a wonderful thing to hear from someone who I also think is a wonderful human and incredible mum and a total inspiration to me since she started her journey and programme Delivering Babies. So excited for the next series I absolutely will be glued.”
Emma Willis: Delivering Babies returns to U&W on 5th September at 9pm. Stream all episodes for free on U.