Sky Sports presenter Emma Saunders has revealed she was put into a coma to help recover from a brain infection just months after undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer. Emma, who regularly hosts Premier League coverage for the network, had to take time away from screens at the start of the season in August while she had treatment.
But she has now taken to social media to announce she is in hospital after being diagnosed with the brain infection named encephalitis.
In an Instagram post of her holding a small giraffe teddy in a hospital bed, Emma wrote, ‘Hi folks unfortunately life took a bit of an unexpected turn a couple of weeks ago and I’m now off work while I recover from Encephalitis - an infection of the brain.
‘I hope it won’t be long until I’m back to see out the end of 2024/25 – especially after missing part of the start of the season before this when I was treated for Thyroid cancer,
‘So, as I spend time now recovering and rebuilding again - I just wanted to thank my family & friends for their rock solid support, my colleagues at Sky for their patience allowing me the time to heal, and our wonderful NHS for their extraordinary kindness and care. And of course you @wrstill just for being you & being there for me.’
Who is Emma Saunders?
Emma Saunders is a sports presenter from Watford who has become one of Sky Sports’ most familiar faces throughout its Premier League coverage of the past few years, best known for her touchline reporting.
She has also covered sports such as rugby, golf and boxing for the network.
Although her birthday is not publicly known, Emma is believed to be 32 years old.
What is encephalitis?
According to the NHS, encephalitis is ‘an uncommon but serious condition in which the brain becomes inflamed.’
It can be life threatening and requires urgent treatment in hospital.
Symptoms typically start with flu-like symptoms but grow more serious over the coming days or weeks.
More serious symptoms include confusion, seizures or fits, changes in personality and behaviour, difficulty speaking, weakness or loss of movement in some parts of the body and loss of consciousness.
The NHS says it’s not always clear what causes encephalitis but viral infections, problems with the immune system and bacterial or fungal infections can all be factors.
Who is Emma Saunders’ partner?
Emma Saunders is dating France’s Ligue 1 teams Lens’ manager Will Still and credited him for ‘being there’ for her in her Instagram post.
Will, who went public with his relationship with Emma in June 2024, gave an interview about her condition – in which he announced she had been in a coma.
He told French publication L’Equipe, ‘It's tough. We realise that there are more important things in life than a football match or a shot that goes into the top corner.
‘I was honest with the guys. My girlfriend was in a coma. We had to be with her, we had to take care of her. The group reacted admirably well.
‘My girlfriend is stable, she's fine. That's the most important thing. When I came back last Saturday, I knew she was in the best possible place to get treatment.
'I asked her the question openly: “Do I go, do I not go?” She said to me: “You have to go.”
'I thank the staff and my brothers who were there to do the work when I wasn't there. I felt like I had to give something back, hence the frustration and disappointment last week.'
Samuel McManus is a senior content creator for Bauer Media, writing celebrity news and features across five of the company’s brands – heat, Closer, Grazia, Bella and Yours. Samuel has worked at Bauer Media since November 2024.