Placed on a pedestal as the “golden girl” of daytime TV for over a decade, Holly Willoughby’s reputation took a serious knock following the queue-gate drama in September – widely believed to be the reason This Morning was snubbed at last week’s TV Choice Awards after previously winning gongs for eight years in a row.
Over 75,000 furious viewers had signed a campaign for Holly, 41, and Phillip Schofield, 60, to be permanently booted off the ITV show after being accused of using their fame to dodge the 27-hour wait to view the Queen’s coffin – something the pair denied.
Sources at the time said Holly was “distraught” over the backlash, issuing an on-air apology for the apparent misunderstanding, with ITV fearing she would quit. But now, with Christmas around the corner and 2023 fast approaching, insiders say Holly is ready to take stock and think carefully about her future. And just a day after the TVC awards, she failed to appear by Phil’s side at ITV’s annual showbiz bash Palooza.
A source tells Closer, “The last few months have been horrendous – there were times she wondered if she’d have a future at This Morning. That was hard for her to cope with because the show will always be special to her. But Holly feels that problem is now firmly in the past, and she’s looking forward to the future. She still wants to be a part of This Morning next year but she’d also love to spread her wings. She can imagine a new life for herself and, in a way, thinks some things would be better if she were to go it alone. Expect big things – she’s determined to make 2023 the most successful of her career.”
Last month marked the last professional hurdle Holly had to face for the year, after it was reported that she feared a negative reaction from crowds at the National Television Awards.
Despite her looking confident in a strapless black dress when she posted ahead of the awards on Instagram, insiders reported how event organisers were “on tenterhooks” over fears of the public reaction to Holly and Phil – a far cry from previous years where hundreds would queue to get a glimpse of the duo.
While rumours have been swirling for months that Alison Hammond’s growing popularity could see her take over as permanent host of This Morning, Holly has so far not announced that she’s set to leave the show that made her name.
But she’s been “thoroughly shaken” by the drama of this year, and a source recently revealed to Closer how the public’s reaction made Holly reassess her status as “the goody two-shoes” of TV, and has empowered her to push the boundaries in her career going forward.
The source says, “Holly would like to explore harder and edgier programming, like Susanna Reid has done in the last couple of months on ITV. Holly is passionate about parenting so she would love to make more programmes about the issues and concerns which many parents have about the challenges facing their children.
“A podcast and more books could also be on the cards. She’s keen to show she has a range of skills as a presenter and work on more solo projects.”
Being worth an estimated £10 million, Holly is aware This Morning provides her with a safety net, and despite branching out into other projects, including launching her online platform, Wylde Moon, in 2021, she knows prime time shows are still the most sought-after gigs in TV.
And the source says we could see Holly try her hand at judging in the New Year.
They add, “ITV producers have been talking about lining Holly up as a judge on The Masked Singer, which is something she’d be really interested in doing.”
Holly also presented BBC’s Freeze The Fear With Wim Hof earlier this year, and insiders at the time said working with her husband of 15 years, Dan Baldwin, who produced the show, had strengthened the spark in their romance.
The insider adds, “It’s an exciting time for Holly after all she’s been through, and her husband Dan is going to support her all the way. It would be really special for them both to work on something together. He has always championed her.
“She has so much she wants to do and achieve and after coming through a really challenging period, she is now fully focused on making a success of things next year.”
