Since Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langford’s dramatic departure from daytime television in 2021, TV executives have been searching for a new power couple to take their place on the country’s screens.
But who could fill the void on the couch left by the couple whose double act ended with the collapse of their marriage this year?
The answer may lie in a couple who would once have laughed at the idea of being the new lords of British television.
Step forward, Emma and Matt Willis.
They have already hosted a string of lucrative shows on ITV, Channel 4 and Netflix, hosting Love Is Blind, and are being touted by their agent as the next big thing.
An expert at talent agency YMU, which also represents Ant and Dec, and Davina McCall, said: “They have huge potential and are determined to make 2025 their biggest year yet.”
The firm is looking for the perfect show for Emma, the presenter of The Voice, and Matt, winner of I’m A Celebrity in 2006, who have been married for 16 years and have three children. They want to find a vehicle that will give the Willises the kind of profile enjoyed by Eamonn and Ruth, or their predecessors on ITV’s This Morning, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan.
Emma and Matt Willis have already hosted a string of lucrative shows on ITV, Channel 4 and Netflix, where they present Love Is Blind (pictured), and are being touted as the next big thing.
But while those two couples made it to primetime television after years of working as journalists, the Willises’ journey has been less conventional.
Former model and party animal Emma, 48, got her first television break in 2002 on the music video channel MTV. Meanwhile, Matt was guitarist for pop punk band Busted and has battled drug addiction, admitting to snorting six grams of cocaine a day during his darkest period.
According to a TV insider: ‘Richard and Judy made their way in Granada as journalists before they were given prime time. And Eamonn and Ruth worked hard on regional television before appearing on national television. Emma may have earned her spurs as a broadcaster over two decades. But many think she will now bring her husband with her, despite an obvious lack of talent.’
Emma and Matt met when she interviewed him in 2004. He was a 21-year-old pop star who wore heavy makeup to hide his acne and was desperate to meet “the hot girl from MTV,” seven years his senior.
As their relationship blossomed, the pair were often seen fighting in North London pubs. ‘For a year, Emma and I were party friends. “Drinking buddies… who did other things,” Matt said.
What Emma didn’t know at the time was that her boyfriend had been battling alcohol and drug addiction since finding fame at age 19. Just six months into their relationship, he entered rehab. Three weeks after leaving, he was partying again. However, despite the relapses, Emma supported him.
Former model Emma and Busted guitarist Matt met when she interviewed him in 2004.
Just six months into their relationship, Matt entered rehab. They are photographed outside London’s Movida nightclub in 2006.
A year after winning I’m a Celebrity…, Matt proposed to Emma on her birthday during a weekend in Venice. A star-studded ceremony, attended by the likes of Willoughby and Jason Donovan, followed in July 2008. But while Emma smiled for the cameras, just three days earlier, Matt had entered rehab for the third time.
The couple had three children, and for a time Emma must have hoped that the new family would have broken Matt’s addiction, but he relapsed once again in 2017 while on the Busted reunion tour. Their daughter Trixie was just ten months old.
According to Matt: ‘That last relapse was very hard for her, because we had three children. He had been sober for eight years; We thought we were already left behind.’
It almost proved too much and the couple sought marriage counseling, which friends say has made them “stronger than ever.”
Speaking in a documentary, Emma said: “It’s very easy to look at a situation that you’re not directly involved in and say, ‘Fuck it, get out of it,’ but when you’re in it, you have that history together… What if you love someone, you’re not going anywhere.
‘It’s not easy. Sometimes I feel like I have four children instead of three. “There has been a lot of joy, but equally, at times it has been incredibly heavy.”
According to a friend: “When you see them together on TV, you never realize how close they came to breaking up.” All marriages have their ups and downs, but what Emma and Matt have been through is extraordinary.’
In fact, some say the struggles mean they are seen as relatable by executives, who increasingly want them on their shows.
In 2021, Emma presented ITV’s Cooking With The Stars with Matt as a contestant, and a spot on Celebrity Gogglebox soon followed. This summer they signed on for Netflix’s Love Is Blind for a seven-figure salary. And this month they presented a Channel 4 documentary Swiped: The School That Banned Smartphones. They are said to be in talks about more C4 documentaries for 2025.
The pair are so determined to work together that Emma turned down the opportunity to replace Holly Willoughby full-time on This Morning.
Insiders at his agency say there is also hope that Matt, with his musical background, could join the judging panel of The Voice, which Emma hosts.
In fact, I can reveal that the pair are so determined to work together that Emma turned down the opportunity to replace Holly full-time on This Morning, having joined the rotating carousel of part-time presenters following her abrupt departure last October.
ITV bosses were desperate to keep her, but a friend said she couldn’t bear to be away from her children Isabelle, 15, Ace, 13, and Trixie, eight: “She wants to spend time with her family and that’s why she’s taking advantage of everything possible to spend time with his family. opportunity to work with Matt.”
After having been through so much, she is also said to protect her husband. A friend said: “I hope to see many more of them together on screen.” They are well aware that Matt’s latest relapse was caused by being alone and away from his family. Emma is more interested than ever in working with him and keeping him on track.