It’s not been an easy few months for Holly Willoughby, following the shocking departure of her long term This Morning co-host Phillip Schofield. And last week it was reported that Holly had “secretly” started a two-month break from the show earlier than usual after revealing the sad news that her beloved mother-in-law, Sandra, had passed away.
Sharing the news with her followers on Instagram, Holly – who is married to TV producer Dan Baldwin – wrote, “Sleep well Sandra […] To know her was to know strength itself. Thank you for raising the incredible man I’m married to… I see your strength every day in our children.”
And insiders now say that the news – on top of the stress she’s been under in recent months – has “rocked” her and left her questioning her future career. An insider says, “The family death has just made Holly realise that life is too short to be unhappy. She’s been dealing with so much toxicity and stress and then this happens and it has stopped
her in her tracks.
“She vowed to carry on at This Morning in the long term after all the drama, but the recent loss of her mother-in-law has made her revisit her exit plan of just focusing on her family and her personal brands. Rather than desperately trying to salvage her career in daytime TV, which she feels she has been doing recently, she wants to spend quality time with her family – as that’s what’s most important to her. She’s been feeling torn.”
Holly, 42, and producer Dan, 48, tied the knot in 2007 after meeting on children’s show Ministry Of Mayhem. Since then, Holly’s career has sky-rocketed and she is now one of the top 10 highest paid presenters on TV, starring
as the host of This Morning since 2009 and Dancing On Ice since 2006.
Earlier this year, Holly’s career – which also includes her wellness brand Wylde Moon and her clothing collections with Marks & Spencer – came under threat when news broke that her co-star Phillip Schofield had lied about an affair with a much younger runner on the show while he was married. Rumours of tensions between the former work couple continued to mount until Phillip officially resigned in May, and Holly maintained that she did not know about the affair in a heartfelt, emotional statement.
And our insider adds that Holly’s family’s tragic loss has now put everything into perspective and she’s realising what matters.
“Holly’s main focus has and always will be her children and Dan, with her career behind that,” the source adds. “But recently events have just left her feeling even more strongly about this and guilty that they have had to take second place, with everything that’s going on. She has said there is only so much she can take and only so much she can do in this situation.”
Closer has previously reported how Holly has been leaning on her co-star Alison Hammond, with the pair having become close friends. The women have shared pics of themselves on night outs and Holly has spoken about Alison spending time at her house while on the show.
But last week, Alison hit the headlines herself after reports claimed that her friendship with her This Morning co-host Dermot O’Leary was on the rocks. While an ITV source claimed the story was “absolute nonsense”, sources tell Closer that Alison has had enough of all the workplace turmoil.
The source says, “Alison is sick of the ongoing drama at This Morning – she doesn’t want to hear about any more toxicity or reports of tension, she just wants to get her job done, and she’s distancing herself from any sort of drama. She has made it clear in the studio that if anyone has a problem, they can come and confide in her, and if anyone needs a friend or a shoulder to lean on, she’ll be there. She doesn’t want to play the corporate game of only looking after yourself or throwing someone under the bus.”
Alison’s career has gone from strength to strength in recent years – she’s set to replace Matt Lucas on The Great British Bake Offand several This Morning fans have called for her to replace Holly if she steps down from the role.
Our insider adds, “Alison is committed to carrying on as usual and wants to continue focusing on doing the best job she can right now. She doesn’t want anything to threaten her career trajectory – she’s on the up and she wants things to stay that way, so she’s distancing herself from the drama.”