Inside Holly Willoughby’s TV comeback: A year after being scared to leave home – and with a sidekick who’s the ‘antidote to Schofield’ – how she’s now loving life again ahead of her return to our screens
As a dedicated follower and admirer of Holly Willoughby, I can’t help but be filled with admiration for her resilience and strength. This woman has faced adversity head-on and come out shining brighter than ever before.
Last week, Holly Willoughby made a bold return to the red carpet in a stylish black dress and radiant grin, leaving no doubt about her self-assured return to the spotlight within the world of entertainment.
Accompanied by her friend and All Saints band member Nicole Appleton, Nicole Appleton (formerly a favorite on ITV’s This Morning) displayed no signs of anxiety while attending the London West End premiere of Robbie Williams’ biopic Better Man, showing a confident demeanor.
Incredibly, just a year ago, Holly, aged 43, was so terrified she wouldn’t venture out of her house, following the police thwarting a kidnapping attempt orchestrated by the unstable fan, Gavin Plumb, with sinister intentions to rape and kill her. Now, however, things have taken a remarkable turn for the better.
She had left a job she cherished on This Morning, only socializing with friends when they came to visit. It is said that she was “completely petrified and desolate”.
People who were the most intimate with Holly were extremely concerned about her well-being. On her toughest days, she was filled with dread that she may never return to work.
Only when Plumb was sentenced to life in prison in July did she start to feel a little safer.
Today marks the start of her genuine return to public life, and there’s an undeniable lightness in the air. Her friends affirm that her smile has returned once more. As one friend described, she seems to be “back to her usual self, enjoying life to the fullest.
In fact, her appearance on the red carpet marks the beginning of a fresh chapter for Holly. Instead of facing a decline in her career, her standing as one of the UK’s most desired female TV presenters remains unparalleled.
On this coming Saturday, I’ll be back on your screens for the first time since my stint on ITV’s Dancing On Ice in January. This time, I’m teaming up with my new “work partner,” Stephen Mulhern, to revive the classic 1980s gameshow, You Bet! It’s going to be a fun-filled experience, and I can’t wait for you all to see it!
Back in the day, I used to eagerly await this show on weekends, with Bruce Forsyth and later Matthew Kelly at the helm. Now, as an ardent fan, I’m hopeful that these two episodes they’ve already produced won’t be the final chapters – that there will be more!
According to reports, they are said to be absolutely thrilled with more, and should the show succeed, it could potentially crown Holly as the reigning queen of Saturday evenings.
It’s been reported that both TV executives and Holly herself have desired this change for quite some time. The shift to “You Bet!” is a calculated move: not only does it offer the opportunity for the star to break free from her daytime television persona, but it also cuts any lingering connections to Philip Schofield.
As an ardent fan, I can’t help but feel the sting of their once-warm bond being shattered irreparably. The news that Schofill and I, who shared the screen together for so long, will ‘never cross paths again’ after the scandal that rocked his world, leaves me heartbroken. Holly, my former co-host, is reported to have been left devastated by the series of events that unfolded. It began with Schofill initially downplaying the gravity of the paedophilia allegations against his brother, Tim, and continued with him being less than truthful about his relationship with a significantly younger colleague. This dishonesty has undoubtedly taken a heavy toll on our friendship, leaving me saddened at this unfortunate turn of events.
A close friend of mine shared that Holly had a deep connection with This Morning, almost like an integral part of her life throughout most of her adulthood. She breathed life into daytime TV, and her affection for it was clear.
Although it ended tragically, there’s always a silver lining. As one chapter concludes, another begins, and currently, Holly finds herself ideally positioned to host major Saturday evening shows.
According to inside sources, she is seen as the ideal solution to rejuvenate ITV’s prime-time television. It appears that there isn’t another role quite like ‘This Morning’ for Holly, and it seems her days in daytime TV might be over. However, ITV has long been seeking a female host for their major Saturday night shows.
‘And it looks like they have found their woman.’
Beyond ITV, her stardom extends to Netflix as well, where she’ll be hosting a reality show. This particular series is called “Bear Hunt,” in which famous personalities are ‘chased’ through the dense jungles of Costa Rica. For a month, she filmed in this region alongside her co-host, Bear Grylls, while her husband, TV producer Dan Baldwin, and their three children – aged 15, 13, and ten – remained at home.
According to reports, the Bear Hunt experience significantly boosted Holly’s self-confidence. A friend shared that the adventure pushed Holly beyond her usual comfort zone.
Except for her stint as a host on ‘I’m A Celebrity’ in 2018, Holly had never ventured into anything similar before. However, even then she was associated with ITV and her colleague Declan Donnelly. This entire experience was novel to her, undoubtedly boosting her confidence and opening her eyes to the vast possibilities out there.
An important factor in Holly’s comeback is her longtime partner Mulhern, who she will rejoin in January, resuming their joint hosting duties on Dancing On Ice once more.
They’ve been collaborating for about two decades, ever since they launched the kids’ weekend program “Ministry of Mayhem” back in 2004.
This year, their captivating duo performance on Dancing On Ice left ITV executives highly impressed, making them the top choice for the You Bet! show.
For Holly as well, it’s been a pleasure collaborating with her longtime companion. According to an ITV insider, “Stephen simply gets the job done.” There are no complications, no time-wasting, no power struggles, and no self-centered behavior. Essentially, he is the opposite of Phil, which is precisely what Holly required.
‘Reuniting with an old acquaintance felt just right, like a well-mixed drink. Now, Holly enjoys her work and finds it delightful to be around.’
It’s also possible that Holly will provide significant assistance for Mulhern as well. There were reports saying he had a collapse following the passing of his father last week.
Due to the hardships she faced this year, Holly is well-acquainted with distress. I’ve heard that she found it difficult to look away from her kids for a while following the news of the kidnap plan. She and Dan had always aspired for their children to have an ordinary upbringing, but for a stretch, that wasn’t feasible – until recently.
‘Life is back to how it used to be now,’ said one friend. ‘Kids, work, school, juggling.’
On Friday, Holly subtly indicated a resumption of normalcy by sharing an Instagram photo of herself, her mother Linda, and their pet dog Bailey enjoying a walk through the forest.
Both wore matching Katharine Hamnett puffer jackets, featuring the word ‘love’ on the back.
Just as her recent red-carpet appearance might give an impression of casual ease, it seems highly improbable that such moments will ever be taken lightly by Holly in the future.
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2024-12-01 04:50