Emma Willis has revealed that she is experiencing a “smooth recovery” after undergoing heart surgery to correct a congenital condition—a hole in her heart she had unknowingly lived with for 49 years. The 49-year-old TV star described the discovery as a “head scramble,” admitting she struggled with anxiety before the procedure.
Speaking to The Sun, Emma shared, “It’s a bit of a head scramble when you find out something like that, that you’ve had something there your whole life, and you had no idea about it. I’m a brilliant overthinker, and my mind will go in every possible direction and scenario, so going into something like surgery, I really got myself at it. I get really anxious and nervous.”
While her physical recovery has gone smoothly, Emma explained that her adjustment has been mostly psychological. “It’s been a smooth recovery, but much more of a psychological adjustment because you don’t have a wound that you can see. The healing is all internal and you can’t feel it,” she said. “It’s about getting your head around the fact that your heart has to learn how to work in a different way to how it’s worked for nearly half a century.”
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At times, Emma admits she’s felt panicky about the condition, but she credits her husband, pop star Matt Willis, 41, for helping her stay calm through breathwork and wellness techniques. “Any kind of weirdness with it sends you a bit panicky, but I’ve got a good little coach here on breath work and wellness,” she said.
Together, Emma and Matt are co-hosting a new BBC series titled ‘Change Your Mind, Change Your Life,’ which explores real therapy sessions and mental health challenges faced by everyday people. Emma also revealed that attending couple’s therapy with Matt was one of the best decisions they made for their marriage, second only to raising their three children—Isabelle, 15, Ace, 12, and Trixie, 9.
She reflected, “We weren’t even really in a place where we needed it; our marriage was great already. It’s about communication, which sounds really basic, especially when you’ve been with someone for twenty years. It’s like, ‘Well, how can you not communicate properly?'”