Emma Willis allegedly sent a message to ITV bosses after making a decision to spend more time with her children and her husband Matt Willis. According to the Daily Mail, Emma turned down the opportunity to replace Holly Willoughby on ITV stable This Morning.
A friend told the publication that this was part of a desire by Emma to spend more time with Matt, 41, following a reported relapse. They said: “She wants time with her family, and that's why she's taking every chance to work with Matt.”
The basis behind this, according to the Mail, was because Matt’s relapse was allegedly triggered by loneliness. A pal claimed: “They are acutely aware Matt's last relapse was triggered by being alone and away from his family. Emma is keener than ever to work with him and keep him on the straight and narrow.”
The comments made by the friend come weeks after Matt and Emma, who have three children together, Isabelle, 15, Ace, 13, and Trixie, eight, came together to speak about the impact of smartphones on their offspring.
Said impact of smartphones on teenagers is being explored by the duo in their latest documentary for Channel 4 titled ‘Swiped: The School That Banned Smartphones’, a two-part series that looks at what happens when a school bans smartphones and asks the question of whether these devices should be banned for under 14s.
Speaking at a panel earlier this month, Emma spoke about her motivations to engage in the project.
“I am such a technophobe, so it felt like the perfect opportunity for me to learn about this world. None of us grew up with this, but they are, so my responsibility as a parent is to learn about the world that they are living in, because that is the only way I can help them navigate it,” explained the broadcaster.
Image:
INSTAGRAM)Matt, bassist for the band Busted, said the process had been an eye opener and he now considers it unsafe for devices to be in the hands of children, reported the Independent.
He said: “I cannot see any safe way of having this in a child’s pocket – and I didn’t go into this experiment thinking that. I thought we would just need age regulations on social media or something, but the more we go through this process, I cannot see any safe way or logical way for a kid to have a smartphone.”
Emma, 48, and Matt aren’t the only ones to be investigating the impact of the removal of smartphones on children. In the same month the University of York released a study showing a smartphone ban improved sleep and mood.
The alma mater’s Professor Lisa Henderson said of the results: “This experiment incorporated a much longer abstinence period than previous studies, allowing us to see how a smartphone ban in school could impact on sleep, wellbeing, cognitive abilities, and alertness. The results showed that a smartphone ban in children under the age of 14 could have a positive impact on sleep, and connected to improved sleep, a boost in overall mood.”
Representatives for Emma Willis have been approached for comment.
English (US) ·