From her shock This Morning exit to her kidnap plot nightmare – which saw stalker Gavin Plumb sentenced to life in prison earlier this month – Holly Willoughby has had a year from hell. But with exciting projects on the horizon, including her first foray into the streaming universe with her brand-new Netflix show, sources say Holly, 43, is considering a major life change.
Insiders tell Closer that ever since Holly left ITV’s daytime show, after a scandal-ridden few months involving Phillip Schofield’s own departure from the show and culminating in the traumatic arrest of sexual predator Plumb, TV bosses across the pond have been eyeing up Holly for presenting gigs.
And with stalker Plumb convicted of a plot to kidnap, rape and murder – and the gruesome extent of his plans unveiled in court over the last few weeks – Holly is seriously considering a move abroad to leave the horrors behind.
“There have been some huge deals coming in for Holly – in particular, from the States,” the insider says. “New faces are in demand and Holly’s face and experience fits the bill. Holly fits the Bridget Jones mould that is archetypically British, and producers think she would be great for daytime shows and documentaries.”
While Holly returned to ITV to present Dancing On Ice following her exit from This Morning, and headed out to Costa Rica to film Netflix show Bear Hunt, she has otherwise stayed largely out of the public eye since quitting This Morning last October.
Her final months on the show were marred by controversy, following her rumoured fall-out with long-term presenting partner Phil, who left after admitting to lying about an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague. When news of security guard Plumb’s plot to kidnap her was made public, Holly quit the show herself, saying that she was doing so “for me and my family”.
But it’s family that Holly has to closely consider when it comes to her next move too. Holly is happily settled in the UK with her TV producer husband Daniel Baldwin and their three children, Harry, 14, Belle, 12, and Chester, nine. And insiders say Holly is very aware that it’s not just her and Dan’s careers that are here in the UK, but their kids’ lives in school too.
“Holly is a ‘home is where the heart’ is kinda girl; she likes the security of comfort and convenience, which enables her to do her job knowing all other bases are covered,” the source says. “She knows a move would throw all that into the abyss. It would be life-changing and wouldn’t just affect Holly but her entire family and the network surrounding her. She’s worried about what uprooting her family would do, and how the children would react to new schools and friends away from the life they know so well here in the UK.”
It seems the demand for Holly overseas is clearly there, as she had been scouted by Netflix for Bear Hunt. The action-packed reality competition series – which will air next year – will see Holly team up with Bear Grylls as he attempts to track down a group of British celebrities hiding out in the central American jungle.
And Holly wouldn’t be the first British presenter to become a hit in the US. Her This Morning replacement, Cat Deeley, 47, reached new career heights across the pond as the five-time Emmy-nominated host of So You Think You Can Dance?
And while insiders say she’s well aware of this, they add that it would take a really special offer she “couldn’t turn down” to make a more permanent move.
“If Holly worked in the US and travelled between the two, she’s worried how she would manage both her family and marriage,” the source says. “She fiercely wants to keep a hold of both in what is an uphill battle to keep her marriage healthy and raise her children without the crazy consideration of totally uprooting everyone. It would be a family choice, not hers alone, to relocate to the US.”
A fresh start would no doubt be welcome to Holly, as earlier this month, her stalker Plumb, 37, was found guilty of all three charges of plotting to kidnap, rape and murder the presenter, with jurors hearing how he planned to kidnap Holly from her family home, and had even purchased equipment to assist him, including metal cable ties, ropes and chloroform.
Holly made the brave decision to waive her automatic right to anonymity as a victim of sexual offences or related charges, but with these harrowing details now out in the open, Holly is keen to leave it all behind, if she can do so without totally uprooting her family.
“Holly was always going to be a working mum, but part of that stipulation was keeping the family a unit, and she’ll fight for that,” the source says. “Uprooting is a whole new ball game and the thought of settling the children into a new country sends Holly into a spiral of panic. But at the same time, it’s so exciting and could be the beginning of a fresh start for her.”