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Emma Willis says she passed out in theatre and was taken to A&E while filming Delivering Babies

Strictly Come Dancing co-host Emma Willis told Tom Allen's Pottering podcast she fainted while watching a post-birth repair during her medical documentary and was taken to A&E for checks. She said colleagues laughed about it afterwards.

2 outlets · 0L · 1C · 1R First reported Account updated
Image: Daily Express
Image: Evening Standard

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The story, neutrally told

Mixed · 2Emma Willis has said she collapsed while watching a post-birth repair in a hospital theatre during the filming of her medical documentary, and was taken to A&E. Mixed · 2She spoke about it to Tom Allen on his Pottering podcast, released on Thursday 8 October 2026. Mixed · 2Willis, 50, trained as a maternity care assistant while making Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, which began in 2018; she said she was inspired by her mother's NHS career, and continued working full shifts when cameras weren't rolling during the first series.

Mixed · 2Keen to see a procedure she had not witnessed before, she began to feel faint, told a staff member “Oh, I’m not sure. I don’t feel okay,” and was helped towards the theatre's back door, where she lost consciousness and was lowered to the floor by a colleague. Mixed · 2On waking she was confused, first seeing a pair of Crocs and thinking she was picking her daughter up from school, before realising where she was. Mixed · 2Because she had passed out she had full checks, including blood tests and an ECG, and was accompanied home by a runner in case she collapsed again.

Mixed · 2Willis said she was “mortified”, and that colleagues “all bloody laughed” at her. Mixed · 2She now co-hosts the 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing with Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe, who replaced Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman; her earlier presenting work includes The Voice and Big Brother. Centre · 1The Standard adds that Willis filmed four series of the documentary across UK hospitals from 2018 to 2024, and that some viewers criticised Widdicombe's presenting after the first live show, while Willis posted a message on social media about being “judged”.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre1 outlet

Framing
Showbiz story that leads with the A&E anecdote, then widens into the reaction to Strictly's new presenting line-up.
Emphasis
Willis's direct quotes, the documentary's 2018–2024 run, and online criticism of Widdicombe and Willis's 'judged' post.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not name the colleague who helped her or describe her mother's earlier hospital roles.
Charged language
“backlash”“spare part”
For example
“Amid the backlash, Willis shared a telling message on social media about getting “judged”” — Evening Standard

Right1 outlet

Framing
Light human-interest piece presenting the faint as a 'frightening moment' and tying it to her new Strictly role.
Emphasis
Her mother's NHS background, her training, the Crocs anecdote and the embarrassment.
Leaves out or plays down
Leaves out the Strictly viewer criticism and the documentary's full run to 2024.
Charged language
“frightening moment”“rushed to A&E”
For example
“has opened up about a frightening moment behind the scenes while filming her medical documentary” — Daily Express