Sky Sports football presenter Emma Saunders has returned to screens after a harrowing year that saw her diagnosed with thyroid cancer, struck down by a life-threatening brain infection, and placed in a coma.
The much-loved Premier League host was forced to step back from work during her recovery, with her partner, Southampton head coach Will Still, quitting his managerial role in France to care for her.
Emma’s ordeal began with cancer treatment before doctors discovered she was suffering from encephalitis. She was placed in a medically induced coma to aid her recovery – a terrifying period that prompted Still to walk away from his Ligue 1 side Lens this summer.
“Emma is home,” the 32-year-old coach told The Sun. “She’s getting a lot better. There’s still the odd thing here and there, but she’s gone back into work for the first time in a long while, which is good. Now I can go home to her after training and games, and she has more control. She’s getting there.”
The couple, who went public during Euro 2024, are now settled in the UK. Still, who had spent four seasons in French football, admitted Emma’s illness was the turning point in his decision to return home.
“When she got seriously ill last year, I realised that as much as I love football, there are more important things in life,” he said. “I’d be standing on a training pitch thinking, ‘I don’t even know why I’m here.’ I needed to be closer to home – and Emma is home.”
Now based in Southampton after signing a three-year deal, Still is focused on steering the Saints back to the Premier League – starting with today’s Championship clash against Wrexham.
