TV presenter Emma Willis has revealed she was a very shy child, and says she still lacks self-confidence as an adult sometimes, but tries to make her children braver.
Emma has revealed the things that empower her in her adult life - from her mum's skirt and pregnancy to landing the role on Big Brother and exercise.
She said: “I most definitely had lack of confidence as a child: I was really, really shy…I think because of that, and because I sometimes have a lack of self-confidence as a grown up as well, I really try to instil in my kids to lean into their fears and to embrace life as much as they can and to believe they can achieve whatever they want to achieve.”
Emma added: “There are many times in my life when I have not felt strong, but as I am maturing, I am really consciously trying to change that narrative within myself. Even when I don’t feel strong and I think, “I can’t do this, who do I think I am?”, just by telling myself I can, even if I don’t quite believe it at that point, it pushes me forward to keep trying.”
Emma has shared the top things that make her feel the most confident:
- Pregnancy – “I think [having children] is the most empowering thing that I’ve ever done. It’s something that fills you with dread and worry while it’s happening, but when you look back at what your body has done and what it creates, it just absolutely blows me away.”
- Wedding – “This was one of the best days of my life, along with the birth of my kids…I was super proud of us as a couple, and I felt like as a unit we were incredibly strong together. We have grown stronger and stronger as a couple since that day.”
- Her mum’s skirt – “It’s the only piece of her we really have from back in the day…my mum is my biggest source of inspiration, and she has raised us brilliantly along with my dad, and she is incredibly strong.”
- TV series Big Brother – “When I got this job, it was the first time I ever felt comfortable, confident and strong in what I was doing, and that gave me confidence in a place where I feel really insecure normally.”
- Exercise – “I’ve found through doing things like Yoga and Pilates and just simply things like breathing exercises that I’m much more in tune with my body, and I listen to it more and I understand it a little bit better.”
- Beauty Regime – “Over the years I’ve tried loads of things, but I always come back to simple is best. I’ll cleanse my face, I’ll chuck on a serum like the Absolute Collagen one which I love, and then I put an SPF50 moisturiser over the top to try and protect this aging skin as much as possible.”
Emma has partnered with Absolute Collagen to spread feelings of empowerment as part of their Strong in Your Own Skin campaign. Clinical Psychologist, Dr Lucy Viney, said: “Research has proven if women feel empowered, they have a greater sense of ‘self-confidence and self-efficacy - the belief that one can do what one wants to do. This naturally sometimes can come with age – this is also due to the multitude of accumulated life experiences. As a result, women in control of their own lives feel more confident.”
Maxine Laceby, CO Founder of Absolute Collagen, said: “Our new campaign is about the strength a woman feels when she feels strong in her own skin. In essence, ‘Absolute Possibility’ is a rallying cry for women to be proud of who they are and begin to live in their own possibilities.
“Our recent research reveals that most women do feel confident in their own skin – which is really encouraging to see – but we want to raise this to all women feeling their most empowered selves and finding strength in their own skin."
