Let’s not count Emma Willis out of Strictly before it’s started

The BBC is gearing up for a new era of Strictly Come Dancing with Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe leading the way.

The trio will be standing on the shoulders of Strictly giants, Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, who exited the show after a lengthy co-hosting tenure last December.

Alongside Emma, Johannes and Josh, fans are also bracing for several new pros to join the fray alongside some returning favourites.

But ultimately, all eyes are on the new co-presenters whose chemistry, star quality and on-screen charisma will define whether this next iteration of the flagship dancing reality series is a hit or a miss.

They have not been handed an easy task with all three already facing plenty of scrutiny. Wildcard presenter Josh will have to win over fans who are sceptical about whether he’s the right fit for the Strictly aesthetic.

Meanwhile, others are mourning the loss of Johannes as a pro-dancer, even though he has confirmed he hasn’t ‘hung his dancing shoes up yet’.

Now, the spotlight has turned to Big Brother icon Emma, the veteran host at the forefront of this huge shake-up.

Although there is a near-unanimous consensus that she is the right woman for the job, there have been some rumblings of concern about her current association with Love Is Blind.

She co-hosts the UK version of the popular Netflix dating show with her husband Matt, with plans to return for a third season.

But after Channel 4’s dating show Married At First Sight has found itself embroiled in controversy involving serious accusations of rape and sexual assault on set, a review has been launched.

With Love Is Blind created by the same production, CPL, The Sun has claimed BBC bosses are worried that any heat on the show could adversely impact Emma’s well-loved image.

The insider told the publication: ‘There’s absolutely no suggestion that Emma has done anything wrong, and she is just the presenter of the show, not part of the production team or the executives.

‘But if Love is Blind does start being questioned along with other, similar shows, then just being associated with that negative attention is likely to be unwanted.

‘Particularly as the whiff of scandal has often lingered around other figures – mainly a small number of pros and celebrities – who’ve been on Strictly in recent years.’

Acknowledging there is not much to be done if any heat does come at the show, they concluded ‘they’ll have to wait and see’.

No doubt Strictly has been marred by controversy in recent years, including pros Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima exiting in disgrace after unsavoury accusations, and, elsewhere, there have been rumours of shocking behaviour behind the scenes.

Still, there is nothing to ring alarm bells about yet, and it doesn’t do to worry about Emma’s potential reputation before the show has even started airing.

Especially when Channel 4’s scandal is connected to MAFS, not her show, Love Is Blind.

The Voice star has previously been vocal about her commitment to showing compassion for the Love Is Blind UK contestants.

‘These are real people’s real lives, and you have to show compassion to that and try and get behind the psychology of people to a certain extent,’ she told AP.

Emma and Matt are also not allowed much interaction with the contestants during the experiment, only jetting in and out of the location to introduce the next stage – although they are more involved in the reunion.

All in all, with the frenzy around the three new Strictly hosts, I’m waiting until the show airs before stoking any fears that things could take a turn for the worse.

Metro has reached out to Emma Willis’s representatives. The BBC declined to comment.

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