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Emma Willis reveals she felt pressured to lose weight early in her career

The presenter modelled in Australia when she was 18

Sharnaz Shahid
Deputy Online Editor
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Emma Willis has revealed that she was told to shed some weight early in her career. The Voice UK presenter, 42, was pressured to slim down when she was working as a model in Australia aged 18. Appearing on Fearne Cotton's Happy Place Podcast, she told the host: "My rational head was kind of going, 'Oh, God. Oh, God. I need to lose weight,' but I was living with a chef, and it was very difficult. I just kind of thought, 'You know what? I just can't be bothered'. I just kind of carried on eating."

emma willis brit awards© Photo: Getty Images

Emma Willis was told to lose weight early in her career

Emma, who shares three young children with husband Matt Willis, confessed that the thought of losing weight did play on her mind. "I think, obviously, there were times when it would get to me, but there's nothing that's really stayed in my brain where it obviously affected me so much that it caused an issue for me," she added. When asked about airbrushing pictures on social media, Emma explained: "When I go on social media now, if I'm on Instagram... rather than going, 'Oh, that looks amazing,' I go, 'Right'. I zoom in."

GALLERY: Inside Emma and Matt Willis' beautiful Hertfordshire home

She continued: "I'm like, 'How many filters are on that? Any stretching going on?' Again, I'm picking apart a picture not believing that it's genuine or real, because so much can be done now." Emma recently opened up about confidence and body shaming in Cosmopolitan, admitting she no longer lets other people's opinion affect her as much. "There was a point when I was younger when I would let it affect me. Nobody wants to hear horrible things about themselves. But, for me, the minute I had children, everything changed because I had to stop thinking about me," Emma said. "So am I going to worry about someone saying I've got fat legs or not liking my dress? Yes, it will bother me, but I'm not going to let it ruin my day. That's the way I deal with it."

Meanwhile, Emma and Matt celebrated their daughter Trixie Grace's second birthday this weekend. The proud mum shared a candid snapshot of the birthday girl and her older siblings, Ace, six, and Isabelle, eight, kneeling over a tasty looking Peppa Pig cake. "Moments before the pigs were annihilated... Happy Birthday little Trixie Grace, melting hearts since 2016. Cake went down a treat @meeshs_cakes," she said in the caption.

This is how Emma Willis and husband Matt spent their date night away from the kids