BBC bosses ‘secretly line up Holly Willoughby for Strictly job’

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Holly Willoughby was a star at ITV, and now she might become BBC’s biggest Saturday night attraction.

According to Peter Fincham, a former executive at BBC One, Phillip Schofield is a potential replacement for Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly as the host of Strictly Come Dancing after they finish their current run.

Fincham was tipped off by a top media source, in the hair salon of all places.

I found out through my hairdresser, who also cuts the hair of a TV executive, that Holly Willoughby is likely to get the job,” Fincham shares. “My hairdresser is very discreet, but he’s confident that’s the plan.”

As a lifestyle commentator, I’m hearing whispers that Holly Willoughby, 44, might be returning to television! After leaving ‘This Morning’ in 2023 following a lot of public attention, a potential move is being discussed. It’s been a tough period – earlier that same year, her co-host Phillip Schofield stepped down after admitting to an affair with a colleague and, crucially, not being honest about it with ITV, his workmates, or even his loved ones. It’s a complicated situation, but a return for Holly would definitely be a big moment.

Holly recently hosted the Netflix show Celebrity Bear Hunt with Bear Grylls, but it wasn’t renewed for another season.

In 2023, The Mail on Sunday first reported her potential involvement with the show. Her husband, Dan Baldwin, produces popular BBC programs like The Wheel and Gladiators, and through him, she has connections with key executives at the corporation.

BBC executives have wanted Holly Willoughby and Bradley Walsh to host a show together for some time. They filmed a pilot episode, called Take Off With Holly & Bradley, in 2019, and a full series was planned, but production was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.

 

DJ Calvin and Vick’s very grand designs

Broadcaster Vick Hope welcomed her first child, Micah, this summer and is ensuring he has lots of room to explore as he begins to crawl.

Vick, age 36, and her husband, famous DJ Calvin Harris, 41, are almost done renovating their home in the Cotswolds. Gardeners are currently working on transforming the grounds into a beautiful landscape.

I’m absolutely stunned by this property! It’s a £3.5 million-plus home, and the garden is incredible – the planning documents say it’s as big as three tennis courts! It’s a real dream space.

The beautiful house will feature several relaxing outdoor spaces, including a kitchen garden, a rose-covered archway, a walled garden, and a fire pit. There’s also a fun ‘summer teepee’ and a peaceful reflection pool, along with both indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

 

Val’s heart surgery drama

In a real-life plot twist worthy of one of her popular crime novels, Val McDermid owes her life to her wife, Jo Sharp, who also holds the prestigious title of Geographer Royal for Scotland.

Oh my gosh, I’m so worried about Val! She just shared that she’s recovering from open-heart surgery, and it’s just… a lot. Apparently, her partner, Jo, is the absolute hero! Val said they were just in bed one night, and Jo noticed her heart was beating irregularly – skipping beats, can you believe it?! Thank goodness Jo said something! They did tests, and it turned out Val had really bad aortic stenosis, which is a narrowing of the valve in her heart. Jo literally saved her life! I’m sending all my love and hoping for a speedy recovery for Val – she’s amazing!

I had major heart surgery in late August. The operation lasted three and a half hours and involved replacing a heart valve and performing two bypasses to improve blood flow.

 

James Middleton, the brother of the Princess of Wales, was deeply saddened when his dog, Ella, a cocker spaniel, passed away in 2023. He now keeps a framed photo of her with him always as a way to remember her.

The 38-year-old entrepreneur shares that his artist friend, Holly Frean, created a very small portrait of his two-year-old son, Inigo, and his wife, Alizee Thevenet, 35 – it was about the size of a postage stamp.

I always take her with me for special moments – she’s shared in some incredible experiences, like the King’s Coronation and Wimbledon, and was even there when my son, Inigo, was born. It feels important to have her present for life’s big events.

 

Acting great Susan Hampshire blasts young co-stars for ‘not learning lines’

Susan Hampshire, who appears in Channel 5’s new drama The Forsytes alongside Tuppence Middleton and Eleanor Tomlinson, has complained that some of her fellow actors didn’t seem to have learned their lines.

The 88-year-old actor, famous for his role in the original ‘The Forsyte Saga’ in the late 1960s, feels that some of the current actors aren’t familiar with their lines. He believes this disrupts the natural flow and pacing of the story, as good acting relies on a back-and-forth between performers.

She believes it’s an actor’s responsibility to understand their lines and deliver them effectively, primarily to respect the writer’s work.

I shared back in August that someone from Hampshire told me Julian Fellowes, the brilliant mind behind Downton Abbey, was apparently quite upset about not achieving his dream of becoming a film star. We’d actually worked together on Monarch of the Glen years ago, and it was something they mentioned to me – a little behind-the-scenes insight into a creative’s aspirations.

 

Hats off to duke and his cap…

King Charles has decided that peers won’t be allowed to wear their coronets at his Coronation, so one duke is looking for a different hat the King would find acceptable.

At a party held at his historic home, Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, the Duke of Rutland wore a baseball cap displaying his title. The 11th Duke, David Manners, age 66, was joined by the Duke of Marlborough, 69, whose family estate is Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire – the birthplace of Winston Churchill.

 

Annabel Croft recently discovered a touching message from her late husband, Mel Coleman, who passed away from stomach cancer over two years ago at age 60. He had given his blessing for their daughter, Lily, to marry her fiancé, Felix McCorquodale, who is related to Princess Diana’s stepmother, Raine Spencer. Lily, a sports presenter, recently got engaged.

Felix recently mentioned that Mel gave him his blessing to marry Lily.

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2025-11-04 00:49