Viscountess Emma Weymouth has spoken of her excitement about taking part in Strictly Come Dancing in an exclusive shoot and interview with HELLO! magazine. Following Saturday night's pre-recorded launch, the 33-year-old shared her delight that she had been matched with professional dancer Aljaz Skorjanec, who won the trophy with Abbey Clancy in his debut series in 2013. "I knew that I was going to get a tall boy, because I'm 5ft 8", but every time I talked about it I felt nervous," says Emma.
"I'm really thrilled they've put us together. Aljaz is a brilliant, hard working dancer and I'm so excited to be taught by somebody who has got such incredible experience. We get on, our personalities match, and it will be good to train with someone who has a similar energy and sense of humour." She's also a big fan of his wife and fellow professional dancer, Janette Manrara. "They are couple goals! And they love animals!"
About taking part in the BBC show, Emma notes: "I'm excited about everything. I'm so grateful to be taking part that I've honestly said 'Thank you' a billion times. My face hurts from smiling so much." The businesswoman, chef and model, who is married to Ceawlin Thynn, Viscount Weymouth, also speaks of how she has already formed a bond with the other contestants. "We're all getting on really well. We're having a nice time, as a group, and all having a laugh, living this mad, surreal experience together. I keep saying to people who work on the show, 'This is the dream – all of you have the best job ever!'"
She has also vowed to work as hard as she can to make herself the best dancer possible. "Just get on with it. That's a life motto," she says. "But I'm still going to be nervous. I'm just going to train as much as I can and work really hard. I don't want to let anyone down, either my partner or myself. It's terrifying to dance on a professional dance floor in front of those judges and a live audience and the rest of the world. I wish I knew what to expect. I really don't know what to expect. I just feel lucky to be doing it all."
Emma, who lives at the 9,000-acre Longleat estate with her husband and two sons John, four, and two-year-old Henry, also talks about what it is like to live on a safari park. "It's exciting to hear lions roaring deeply at 11pm at night. It's mad. Often the sea lion will bark at the echo of his own bark, and you can hear the wolves howl."
Meanwhile, during Strictly's official launch on Saturday, Emma looked absolutely stunning in her sparkly number. The beautiful look, of course, came courtesy of the show's brilliantly talented wardrobe department, who Emma is thrilled to be able to collaborate with on future looks. "The costume team is incredible! They work so hard and so fast, they produce so much. The first costume we got for the launch red carpet, everyone was so happy in what they were given," she told HELLO! and other reporters at the show's launch.
But while Emma has some input into what she will wear week after week, she also trusts the stylists' very capable hands. She added: "I think it is collaborative to a point, but I trust them, they know what will move well. They're beautifully made but they're also technical costumes so I'll leave it to the experts and enjoy everything they put me in! They're so impressive." We cannot wait!
Read the full interview in HELLO! magazine, out on Monday.