She’s set to make her big TV comeback this autumn to front iconic ’80s and ’90s game show, You Bet, alongside her long-time pal and former co-host, Stephen Mulhern. And insiders say Holly Willoughby, 43 – who dramatically quit This Morning in October when a plot to murder and kidnap the star was foiled by police – has credited Stephen, 47, for helping her get her mojo back following a "year from hell".
A source says, "Holly’s undeniably had the worst 18 months of her life, both personally and professionally, and it’s been no mean feat plucking up the courage to make her big return after everything she’s been through.
"Having Stephen alongside her and knowing they’ll be doing it together has helped her enormously – it’s been quite an emotional reunion. And while she’s still battling with anxiety and working on rebuilding her confidence, she’s grateful that she’ll be working with such a close friend she not only feels incredibly supported by, but who she loves and adores."
Their 20-year friendship began in the early noughties when they both started out their presenting careers fronting children’s show, Ministry Of Mayhem, which was later renamed, Holly & Stephen’s Saturday Showdown.
Throughout their simultaneous rise to hit presenters in the years that followed, their professional paths have continued to cross on shows including Celebrity Juice, This Morning and Dancing On Ice and their close bond off-screen remained.
Stephen has hailed the mum-of-three – who shares sons, Harry, 13, and Chester, seven, and 11-year-old daughter, Belle, with her TV producer husband, Dan Baldwin – as a "proper pa" and the friend he turns to for advice when he has any problems.
Meanwhile, Holly has credited their unbreakable bond to being sealed in their early presenting days when she revealed they would be up all night partying and often head to the studio straight from the hotel bar.
The presenter-turned-wellness guru has been fighting to save her crown as TV’s golden girl since her former friend and This Morning co-host, Phillip Schofield, 62, quit the sofa last May after admitting to having an ‘unwise, but not illegal’ affair with a younger male colleague.
As a result, Holly’s reputation was left hanging in the balance amid accusations that she knew about her pal’s indiscretion – something she denied – and calls for the star to be axed from her 14-year stint on the show.
And while she fought to save her career – returning to the sofa in a bid to repair her tarnished image – she was shockingly forced to step down just months later to ‘protect me and my family’ when it was revealed 37-year-old security guard, Gavin Plumb – who has since been jailed – had been plotting to kidnap, rape and murder the star.
