Joel Dommett shares sweet parenting advice Holly Willoughby gave for first baby
His biggest TV project ever is about to begin on screen, so Joel Dommett finds himself feeling protective and wanting to help two very different 'babies' this month.
At home, he and wife Hannah are just weeks into being parents of newborn son Wilde. And on BBC1 next Saturday, primetime show Survivor will start with Joel hosting the multi-million pound series which is a smash hit in other countries like the US and Australia.
"Well, I’m not sure if you’ve heard but I’ve been a little busy," he jokes when we catch up on email as he begins life as a dad. "Life’s been pretty crazy since I got back, me and Hannah were just enjoying our last few weeks together nesting. I was so worried she would give birth whilst we were away filming, so I was very pleased that didn’t happen. Now we have a new baby in our lives, alongside my other baby, Survivor!"
Joel Dommett with wife Hannah Cooper in 2018 (Getty Images)
Joel Dommett has opened up about life as a new dad (CAPITAL BREAKFAST)On the birth of Wilde he adds: "It’s amazing, it’s everything everyone says it will be and more. Nothing can prepare you for it. But we’re very happy as our new little family and Hannah has been beyond amazing."
You can never be totally prepared, but luckily he has some TV friends to help him out with tips. "It's so difficult, isn't it? And you do get a lot of advice, and I've been reading all of the books and listening to all of the podcasts and things like that.
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"I'm highlighting books, I'm folding over pages and yeah, there's one particular book I'm like, oh my god, I'm going to read that again. I'm going to read it again and again and again. It's so good. "And then 98% of it completely goes out the window as soon as they're born. But I'm enjoying sort of immersing myself in it. And I think that you take all of that advice with a pinch of salt, because you never know what's going to happen and what it's going to be like.
"I think you read all the books in the world, but you're still pretty naive to what's going to happen. I hope I'm going to be a good dad. And Holly Willoughby gave me some lovely advice and said, 'All you've got to do is love them'. And I think that's the best advice you can have really."
Joel and Hannah welcomed baby Wilde in September (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Holly Willoughby gave Joel some sweet parenting advice (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)She is not the only celeb pal helping out either. "Davina's going to be great for advice too," he says of The Masked Singer pal Davina McCall.
"And I think she's going to go hang out with Hannah and honestly... I feel like I've got a really lovely sort of little television support network around me that I can call for help.
"We love Emma Willis. I call her and then text her, and go like... We blub our way through your wonderful show," he says referring to her UKTV show Delivering Babies.
"She's such a perfect host for that. And it's just so amazing, so amazing. I'm unbelievably excited for the rollercoaster that is to come. And yeah, it feels like being parents is a rollercoaster and I am so excited."
Before the baby arrived, Joel had been busy for most of the summer filming Survivor and having to catch up on pregnancy updates via FaceTime for six weeks.
Speaking out in the Dominican Republic during filming, it was clear he took the new job very seriously. He had watched multiple series of the other version of Survivor - so much so that his mum is now addicted to the series as well as Hannah. And he was convinced the show could be a winner.
It kicks off with 18 contestants who aside from basic rice ration will catch or try to win their own food, build their own shelter from scratch and compete against each other in epic challenges for reward or immunity.
Those who win immunity are safe from being voted out of the game at the iconic Tribal Council, a kind of eviction combined with the bit in The Apprentice where someone gets fired.
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At each Tribal Council, a tribe must vote out one of their own, and then at the end of it all a sole Survivor emerges and wins a life-changing £100,000 cash prize.
"It feels amazing," Joel says of the show returning to the UK, having run on ITV from 2001-2002 in a very different guise. "It feels like the right moment for people to really get their teeth into something like this, and it is so addictive. There's sort of gameplay in the challenges themselves, they then get back to camp, and everyone's strategising. And there's a lot of gameplay in making sure that you don't get voted out. So it is fascinating and I love it.
"I think now's the right time for it to be in the UK. And it sort of feels like a piece of every one of our favourite shows in the UK. And it's not because it's the last one to the table. It's because it was the first one to the table, and you realise when you are watching how many other shows have taken parts of Survivor for their show."
But despite his love of the show he admits he would not cope well in the camp surroundings and gameplay.
"I would be completely awful," he says with a laugh. "It's all I think about every time I'm on set. I'm like, 'Oh my God, I'm so glad I'm not there....'.
"I'm petrified in my job and in life about being constantly loved. I would be so awful at this game. You've got to not be obsessed with being liked by everyone. Because it's not about being liked, it's about winning and becoming the sole survivor. And the people that go really far in this aren't really worried about being liked particularly."
It was no surprise that Joel landed the new job as he is now an established prime time host, following in the footsteps of his friends like Holly Willoughby, Emma Willis and Dermot O'Leary.
Despite now being used to success with The Masked Singer, his quiz In With A Shout, and fronting the National TV Awards, Joel takes nothing for granted.
He says: "I feel like I try and work really hard. And I try and make sure that the next step is thought about, and part, I think I've said this to you before in interviews, but it's almost the easy part getting there. The hard part is longevity and staying there and being one of those people that in 30 years time we're still sitting here having this wonderful chat and going, 'You've got this new show, what's going on with it?' That's where I want to be, and I just love it. I just love television. I love making it, I love being a part of it. I love the people who are involved in it."
Turning back to Survivor, Joel hopes the show he already loves not only survives but flourishes as he already has eyes on a return trip for a second series. Whilst he would be working hard, wife Hannah and an eight month old baby could potentially be enjoying a hotel pool whilst he introduces the challenges.
"Fingers crossed yeah, I mean a second series is what we all want, myself right down to the runners. Hopefully it will last for a while. So it's sort of my dream that I can bring my child back next year. And I can every year just have a little minute and take stock and understand that it all started when they were in my wife's belly.
"It feels automatically very different from shiny floors, shiny suits, Joel from Masked Singer. And I think that was probably why my name was maybe in the mix in the first place just because it felt so different for me.
"But weirdly, I just feel like it really suits me. I feel like I really like the outdoors, I really like the fitness elements of this show. I feel like it feels really different for me, and that's what I'm really excited about.
"I love being busy, I get bored sitting still or doing nothing on holiday. That’s why filming Survivor was so good as it was so busy but in a hot location. I’m just excited for everyone to see the show now as it’s been so long in the making."
* Survivor launches on BBC1 and iPlayer on Saturday October 28 at 8.25pm and continues on Sunday at 8pm.
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