While she has been a familiar face on our screens for two decades, Holly Willoughby has always kept her private life private, until now. After celebrating her 40th birthday last February, the This Morning host has decided to start being more open about her life. As she released her new book Reflections: Life Lessons On Finding Beauty – Inside And Out last month, she’s been sharing her thoughts on many topics, including growing older, her angry rages and family life.
“There’s been a lot of tears. [Writing the book]It has been very hard, it’s been painful,” Holly, who is married to partner Dan Baldwin and has children Harry, 12, Belle, ten, and Chester, seven, said.
“I think sometimes shining a light into those dark corners of your own life is hard, and sometimes you have to be very brave and you have to dig really deep to do it.”
Here’s what she’s said in the book and while doing promotion for it...
On her body
“I’ve done a lot of self-criticism, and particularly as you’re getting older, when you hit your forties, things change quite rapidly,” Holly said.
“We are heading towards that kind of menopausal time – skin is changing, hair is changing, body’s changing. Even having had a baby, the shape of your body completely changes. You’ve got to go, ‘Yes, my face is starting to sag and my eyes are blood shot and the rest of it, but I’m healthy and I’m OK. Getting older is a privilege as not everyone gets to be here.’”
She added, “I have had my body scrutinised my whole life, and I came to the conclusion that I just wouldn’t be part of the story. I could look in the mirror and say, ‘If only my bum was smaller, so I could wear skinny jeans.’ I’m getting older now, and I have to wear bikinis that have got a bit of supporting structure.”
Read more
Brave Holly Willoughby! Secret relief as she finally faces up to going it alone
Check out: Holly Willoughby's outfit today: what she's wearing on This Morning and high street dupes
Holly Willoughby: All her clothes from This Morning and where to get it cheaper on the high street
1 of 6TUESDAY 3 May
Today Holly has opted for a smart casual look. She's wearing a blue floral ruffle top, black trousers and black heels. What we're loving about this outfit is that you can dress it up with heels like Holly, or keep it casual with trainers. Holly's outfit costs more than £150 but we've found a high street dupe...What Holly is wearing:Ditsy floral contrast broderie ruffle blouse, Warehouse, £69.Clara trousers, Sezane, £95.**Where you can get Holly's look for less on the high street:**From New Look you can recreate Holly's entire outfit for less than £40...
2 of 6holly willoughby this morning outfit 3 may 2022
3 of 6WEDNESDAY 4 May
It's Wednesday and again Holly has opted for a smart/casual outfit. She's paired a white shirt, green midi skirt and nude heels together. Again this is a great outfit if you're heading into the office or going out for lunch with the girls. Holly's outfit is on the pricer side, so we've found a similar look that'll save you some cash...What Holly is wearing:Pure Collection linen shirt, John Lewis, £85.Suede wrap skirt, Jigsaw, £285.**Where you can get Holly's look for less on the high street:**From River Island you can copy Holly's style for less than £70...
4 of 6holly willoughby 4 may 2022
5 of 6THURSDAY 5 May
It's Thursday and for her final look of the week, Holly is wearing a blue and white floral dress. The This Morning presenter looks gorgeous and we're loving this dress. We're not the biggest fan of the £200+ price though, so we've found a high street dupe.What Holly is wearing:Fellini blue and cream tropical print cotton shirt dress, L.K. Bennett London, £299.**Where you can get Holly's look for less on the high street:**From Forever Unique you can recreate Holly's outfit for less than £60...
6 of 6holly willoughby this morning outfit
Being fat shamed
Holly began modelling after being scouted at the Clothes Show in 1995 when she was 14, fronting campaigns for Pretty Polly lingerie.
She quit three years later after being fat shamed by an Australian modelling agent. Holly had met the booker for potential work, but they said her figure didn’t suit their requirements and told her UK agent, “We’ll put her weight down to healthy eating while travelling.”
“To hear a comment like that was a complete and utter shock,” Holly recalled.
“At 17, I didn’t have the body I have now, I was tiny. I was a very slim girl. I really had issues with it because 17 is quite a vulnerable age, especially in an industry that can be incredibly damaging for girls who don’t want to lose that opportunity and that chance. If I had whittled my body down into the shape that was required, I’d probably damage myself, and so I stepped away.”
Surgery plans
Holly is open to getting some cosmetic treatments in the future.
“I probably will indulge in a few – I’m reserving the right to decide how I feel about all that when I get there,” she said.
Angry rages
In recent times, Holly has decided to “reconnect” with her anger. “I was getting angry all the time, and Dan’s like, ‘I wish you could not be so angry.’ So, I would be getting really angry, and he would be like, ‘I’m not sure this is good.’” she said.
Sometimes it would be the most innocuous comments that could spark her off.
“If I’m watching something on TV and my husband suddenly asks, ‘Why are you watching this s**t?’ it’ll spark something deep inside, and I will get disproportionately angry about it,” she added.
Holly recently got furious with an unnamed colleague, who undermined her before going on stage.
“I cried, I shouted, I turned the air blue as I called them every name under the sun,” she said.
Watch: This Morning's Bryony Blake reveals what's inside her makeup bag
Family life
“If something was to happen to Dan or the kids, or my family environment or my friends, the bottom would fall out of my world. I could not cope. That would be me gone,” she said.
But it’s not all fun and games, as she added, “My husband says to me, ‘You’d organise the fun out of anything.’ Because I do. It’s terrible!”
Read more great celeb stories in the Christmas issue of Bella - in shops now.