She gave fans a rare insight into her private life last week, sharing a series of pictures from her romantic summer break in Italy to mark her 16th wedding anniversary with husband Dan Baldwin.
Flaunting her incredible figure in a string of skimpy bikinis and showing off her home-made salads, Holly Willoughby, 42, looked blissfully happy in the snaps she shared with the platform’s 180k Instagram followers.
Holly’s latest move is an uncharacteristic step for the mum-of-three, who’s known for keeping her marriage and private life out of the spotlight. But pals say in the wake of the scandal with her former This Morning co-starand best pal, Phillip Schofield, 61, this is further proof that she’s trying to carve out a new image for herself.
A source says, “Holly’s spent a long time as the whiter-than-white golden girl of ITV – embracing the girl-next-door image, rather than the sexy pin-up like Amanda Holden.
“But after everything that’s happened over the last few months, Holly’s realised that she needs to step out of that box and re-brand herself, which she can only do by being more open with fans, showing off a different side and giving them a deeper glimpse into her private life.
“She balanced out the snaps of her healthy lifestyle by showing the cocktails and fun nights out she had with Dan during their trip too, in an attempt to prove she also knows how to have a good time and isn’t afraid to enjoy herself and indulge.
“While Holly’s not going to start flashing her cleavage and attempting to be a pin-up, she wants to sex-up her image while showing her fun side and bring that likeability factor back which she feels she’s lost somewhat in recent months.”
Holly’s career was left hanging in the balance earlier this year after Phillip sensationally quit This Morning, which they’d fronted together for 14 years, and admitted to having an extra-marital affair with a younger male colleague.
While the dad-of-two – who came out as gay on the ITV show in February 2020 – said Holly had no knowledge of the fling, she faced a storm of backlash from viewers and celebrities who insisted she must have known her former BFF’s secret.
The host-turned-wellness guru cut ties with the disgraced star as she attempted to save her career, but her defiant return to the sofa was met with a tepid reaction from viewers, a dip in ratings and damage to her reputation which many argued was irreversible.
Insiders at the time told Closer how Holly – who shares Harry, 14, Belle, 12 and Chester, eight, with her TV producer hubby – even made the heart-wrenching decision to put an end to her dream of having a fourth baby to focus on rebuilding her career.
The source says, “Over the last few months, Holly’s been consulting with crisis PR gurus who are experts in helping celebrities salvage their image following scandals that cause significant damage to their reputation.
“They’ve created a plan for Holly and part of that plan is being more candid about her private life, sharing more of her health and wellness ‘secrets’ with fans and generally being more open about her life behind the cameras in a bid to become more approachable, relatable and someone they can emulate.
“The experts have assured her that as long as she remains down-to-earth and likeable, she’ll grow in popularity as well as showing off a different side to her that really embodies her brand as she starts moving more and more towards the wellness world.”
Despite calls for Holly to be axed from This Morning following the scandal, she faced fresh backlash amid reports she was set to sign a lucrative new deal to remain on the show – which would see her pocket a whopping £1 million a year.
And pals say that her courage and determination to save face and continue fronting the show has been thanks to the support and encouragement of her husband.
The source adds, “Having time alone together this summer not only gave Holly and Dan time to rest and reconnect, but it also reminded Holly how having a husband who is her rock can make her feel invincible.
“Their marriage is bullet-proof and not only has Dan helped Holly to fight back, but he’s also given her a new-found confidence which has in turn helped her create a new version of herself. This has made her more determined than ever to ride through this storm and come out even stronger.”