EMILY PRESCOTT: Quitting BBC is heavenly for Emily Maitlis as she enjoys £10k fitness freebie

She endured some blood-curdling battles during her time at the BBC and was reprimanded by the Corporation bosses for her Newsnight monologue about Dominic Cummings’ journey to Barnard Castle during the lockdown.

So Emily Maitlis was expected to enjoy a relaxing break before starting her new job presenting a podcast for Global.

But instead, she embarked on a £10,000 intensive fitness retreat in Italy, where she sweated it out with a Hollywood A-lister and a former Donald Trump staffer.

Now free of BBC restrictions, Emily took a free trip to The Ranch Italy — an offshoot of The Ranch Malibu in California, whose clients include Elle Macpherson and actress Rebel Wilson — and wrote a gushing review in return.

Emily described four-hour daily walks and said, “After two hours, they’ll radio you to return — and follow the flags back home like Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road.”

She admitted, however, that carrying canes killed her “cool vibe.”

Emily is excited about the free massages and says, “This will be my focus for every day. It’s magical and professional and caring and liberating. It’s heaven.’

It’s not all glamorous, though, as guests at The Ranch have to provide urine samples and empathize with New Age trends by writing letters to their future selves.

But it seems Emily went above and beyond, reporting that the retreat even worked medical miracles, clearing her painful foot condition plantar fasciitis. Luxury!