Matt and Emma Willis on the British Twist to ‘Love is Blind’

Love is Blind USA has been sweeping across Netflix, so it was only a matter of time until it crossed the pond to see how the British did it. And who better to emcee the new take on reality tv dating than brit pop star Matt Willis and TV royalty Emma Willis? The married duo sat and spoke about everything, including British reality TV, their marriage and what it’s been like working together on the show, and whether or not love is truly blind.

HUNGER MAGAZINE: I’ve watched the first two episodes of Love Is Blind UK. You know what, I was a little cynical about it, but when that first episode finished, I was ready for the next one.

MW: I had a very similar reaction when I first heard of the premise, I was like that sounds crazy.

EW: Yeah, that’s bonkers. You can’t get married after such a short amount of time.

MW: So, we thought well let’s watch it and we watched the first episode, and we didn’t stop.

HM: When you’re on set, how much do you interact with the contestants?

EW: Not a lot, actually. We spend quite a bit of time with them just before they go into the pods and obviously, they are then locked into pod life and then we next meet them when they get to the retreats. I think if we had too much interaction with them, it would be more like ‘we’re on telly’ whereas in the pods, you can’t see any cameras. The more removed they are from the outside world, the more authentic it probably feels to them and to everybody else watching.

HM: When you watched it back were you, even though you were involved in it, still thinking: “this is absolutely mental?”

MW: I was. When I thought about a UK version, I don’t know why but [the concept] seems more American to me. As British people, we are quite cynical. I don’t know if we believe that we just watched these people fall in love.

EW: And because it’s a legal wedding, you know you can’t enter into it lightly. I think when you hear the premise on paper you’re like “really?”

MW: Also casting on this show is different. We want people who want it and don’t want people who don’t get along or just want to be on telly.

HM: When you first step into the room, do you get the sense which people are going to do well?

EW: No, but you can spot the people who might not be there for the right reasons

HM: Did you feel the pressure fronting the UK edition?

EW: The amount of pressure is huge because it is so loved. It’s one of Netflix’s number one unscripted shows. Suddenly you’re thinking “ah shit we can’t be the bit that lets it down”. It’s so loved so you want to do it justice. I think they absolutely have done that and its really got that British sense of humour.

HM: When hosting a show like Love Is Blind UK, it could give the impression that you are a perfect couple. I did some research and I feel you’ve both been quite candid about struggles that every marriage has. Do you think that makes you suitable people to front the show because it’s like a real depiction of a real relationship?

EW: I don’t think we are a perfect couple. I don’t think any couple is a perfect couple, maybe apart from my mum and dad who are a perfect couple, but they are imperfectly perfect.

MW: What makes a marriage strong is not ducking out when times are tough. We’ve had some really tough times, but we’ve always known we want to be together. That never wavered. I think you’ll see that during the show as well. You’ll see people have real conversations about values. Luckily our values really match up.

HM: Are there any challenges working together?

EW: No there aren’t. It’s really nice. We treat it as a little holiday without the kids.

MW: I’ve always been a bit jealous of Emma’s job because I spent my time in tour buses with sweaty men!

EW: But also, when it’s really busy, he’s away doing something or I’m away doing something, so you do miss each other and having so much time apart makes you value the time that you do have together. The fact that now we can work together, it’s still time for us just to be with each other.

HM: What do you think it is about reality TV shows that makes them so good?

MW: I think British people love reality TV.

EW: We love a little look into other people’s lives, don’t we? We love Coronation Street and Eastenders for the same reason because we feel like we are watching everyone and having a little neighbourhood watch moment. And reality TV is just that.

I have been obsessed with Big Brother ever since the very first episode in 2000. We’ve got great production teams here. People know how to highlight what people are doing, pull-out stories and follow an arc.

It’s why I think people fall in love with Big Brother in the first place –  because it’s just real and raw

HM: The show has a magic to it, but it’s also a pressure cooker situation. Why do you think people are so keen to go on the show?

EW:  What we’ve seen is that there’s a bunch of people who are sick of the way the dating world is at the minute. You could meet somebody on an app but you’re only going off their appearance so you don’t know if you’ll actually have a connection or not. So most of the people who wanted to come on the show seemed to be genuinely looking for someone they could spend the rest of their lives with.

MW: That’s the good thing about it. They also spend a lot of time chatting and some are so prepared, have amazing questions and big conversations happen pretty quickly. They don’t want to have that too late down the line and feel they’ve wasted their time, so I find that fascinating.

HM: In an alternate reality, would you go on Love Is Blind UK? And if so, how would you play it?

MW: I would go on it, yeah. I don’t know if I’d get picked as I’d probably say something that I think was funny and it’s not. I find it amazing to get to know someone without having anything else in front of you, just getting to know their personality and who they are on the inside. Because that’s who you’re falling in love with, they can look great but you’re falling in love with the person. And the fact you have to propose is crazy.

EW: Part of me wants to think I would but believe it or not, I’m quite shy and I’m a chronic over thinker. I would have gone “yeah it’s a great idea” then on the way there, I would have talked myself out of it and not gone.

HM: One final question, is love blind?

EW: Oh, I absolutely think it can be, 100 percent.

MW:  I think it can. It’s proven it can be, but then the real world happens which is what is so exciting about this show. Everything is great then it’s like “right here we are”. Go and be a real couple. It then gets really interesting.

Love Is Blind UK is available on Netflix