Holly Willoughby’s fears over Tess Daly’s new venture

She’s bagged a six-figure book deal to launch her own wellness guide – just a year after her fellow presenter, Holly Willoughby, ventured into the wellness world with her lifestyle platform, Wylde Moon.

Announcing her new venture on Instagram last week, Tess Daly, 53, told her 802k followers, “Sometimes our lives can get so busy we forget to invest in ourselves and spend time focusing on our own health and wellbeing, so I wanted to channel that into my new book and share the simple steps I’ve learned throughout the years that have such a positive effect on how we feel!”

The glowing Strictly host – who donned a T-shirt emblazoned with “wellbeing” as she showed-off her youthful complexion – then teased, “Stay tuned for more exciting news.”

And insiders say that while Holly is thrilled for her friend, Tess’ latest move was a surprise.

A source says, “Holly is happy Tess is exploring something she’s clearly passionate about. At first it naturally made her wonder if Tess might be stepping on her toes a little bit, or that other people might see it that way. Holly understands that the wellness world is big enough for them all to share and of course Holly herself wasn’t the first star to do it as she followed in the footsteps of the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow.

“But given she and Tess are so closely aligned in the presenting world and how small their circle is, she wouldn’t want it to create an element of competition. She’s just hoping they won’t be pitted against each other, as that is the last thing she wants, and that there aren’t any fears for their friendship.”

Like Holly, Tess – who shares daughters, Phoebe, 17, and Amber, 12, with husband, Vernon Kay, 47 – began her career as a model before finding fame as a television presenter in the early noughties with shows including SMTV, Children In Need and Sport Relief.

And while the pair haven’t presented together, they hang out in similar circles, alongside other presenters including Claudia Winkleman, Emma Willis and Fearne Cotton.

After welcoming her eldest son, Harry,now 12, Holly revealed how she almost invited Tess and Vernon – who were touring the maternity ward – into the hospital room just moments after giving birth.

The star – who also shares daughter, Belle, 10, and seven-year-old son, Chester with husband Dan Baldwin, 47 – quipped, “My husband quite rightly pointed out that it might not be the best time, given the doctor was still stitching up my vagina.”

The pair have also supported one another both personally and professionally over the years.

When Holly took to Instagram to share an emotional message about her son Chester’s first day of school in 2019, fellow working mum Tess replied “Bless” alongside a string of heart emojis.

But the pair have also been pitted against each other on numerous occasions – with the duo sparking a frenzy when they attended the 2017 BAFTAs in identical frocks, and This Morning viewers calling for Tess to replace Holly when her husband, Vernon, has stepped in to guest present the show.

While Tess has carved out a successful career – fronting Strictly since 2004 – Holly’s gained the crown as the country’s most in-demand and highest paid female presenter, fronting a host of top shows including her regular gig on This Morning.

And insiders say Tess – who was named the face of multivitamin brand Wellwoman in 2020 – reached out to Holly before announcing her new venture, to ensure there were no hard feelings between them. Holly’s own platform, Wylde Moon, contains wellness hacks and advice on everything from relaxation to positivity and meditation, alongside crystal healing and energy guides.

Check out: 25 beauty products Holly Willoughby swears by

The source says, “Tess has always adored Holly and would never want her to think that she was trying to rain on her parade or strike up any sort of competition with her.

“Wellness is something she’s been passionate about for many years. She has openly spoken about this in the past and shared tips and hacks with her fans. This was a very natural progression for Tess and something she’s wanted to do for a very long time, so she messaged Holly to ensure she knew she wasn’t in any way trying to step on her toes.

“Holly really appreciated Tess reaching out and wished her the best of luck with her new venture. Tess insisted she was approaching it from a different angle and they agreed there was space for them both. They could even collaborate at some point in the future.”

Expert: ‘Tess needs to be different’

PR guru and pop culture expert Nick Ede says, “The wellness market is popular and saturated, but that’s because there’s a huge appetite for it. Holly and Tess are both great ambassadors for this type of thing because they both look fantastic, they are working mothers and people feel they know them as they see them on TV weekly. Their audience is women who want to look good and feel good, and they want to find out more about the ways Holly and Tess live their lives.

“The ‘relatability’ angle is 100 per cent what draws people to the wellness guru trend. Those who promote that can be a little bit preachy, so household names like Tess make it much more appealing and accessible.

“I think some of the people who have bought into Holly’s Wylde Moon platform will want to buy into Tess as well. So that means Tess has to make her offering slightly different to Holly, otherwise it may be like she’s treading on her toes. It seems like she’s going down that route with her book, but if she is to launch a brand with products in the future, I’d say she has to create her own niche and offer something different. I think she’ll really make it work.

“The wellness sector is a thriving market at the moment and I imagine both women will be hugely successful with their brands. They are tapping in to the right thing.”

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