In the latest blow for Holly Willoughby, the media company she co-owns with her husband Dan Baldwin, Roxy Media has been given 12 weeks to pay up a massive £377,000 tax bill to avoid being dissolved.
Her financial woes come on the heels of a tumultuous couple of years for the presenter. Not only did she have a public falling out with her This Morning co-host and former BFF Phillip Schofield in 2023, she then had to step down from the show after 14 years at the helm, after a horrific kidnap, rape and murder plot against her came to light.
She made a brief comeback earlier this year, hosting Celebrity Bear Hunt on Netflix alongside Bear Grylls, but the show was axed after just one series. Her long-held role as host of Dancing On Ice also ended in January, after the skating show also received the chop.
Now, after such a tough time, sources tell heat that Holly, 44, has been turning to her good friend and wellness advocate Fearne Cotton for help and guidance. ‘Holly and Fearne have had their ups and downs over the years, but recently they’ve been back in touch and Holly loves having Fearne in her corner,’ says an insider. ‘Holly thinks she is so wise and in awe of the work she has done on herself – chatting to Fearne feels like free therapy.’
The source continues, ‘Holly is at a huge crossroads in her life and career – she’s been under a lot of stress. She’s been through so much – at one point, she admitted that it had all become a bit too much. But her friends urged her to reach out to Fearne. They have such a long history together, it made sense.’
Holly and podcaster Fearne, 43, met as teens starting out in the TV industry together. They were inseparable in the early noughties, often pictured together on wild nights out. But they are understood to have spent less time together after Fearne quit Celebrity Juice – they were both team captains on the panel show – in 2018.
Since then, Fearne has taken a step back from TV and has instead been pouring her efforts into wellness and spirituality, including her extremely popluar podcast Happy Place which, thanks to its success, also has its own festival. Holly has also dipped her toe into the world of wellness with her lifestyle brand Wylde Moon, which she launched in 2021 and focuses on astrology and crystals.
We’re told that Fearne has been using her knowledge to help guide Holly out of ‘negative thinking’ patterns, with our insider saying, ‘Fearne has encouraged Holly to lean into Mel Robbins’s theory of letting go and saying, “Let them”, when she worries about what people think. They’re having weekly check-ins – it’s been a lifesaver for Holly. Fearne has suffered massively from imposter syndrome and had many dilemmas in her career, too – she knows how cutthroat the showbiz world can be.’
Last year heat reported how the women had reconnected, with a source telling us at the time, ‘Fearne can’t believe how strong Holly has been dealing with the kidnap plot and keeping a dignified silence over the Phillip Schofield saga. It’s been an emotional reconnection for them.’
And with everything that has been going on with Holly recently, our insider says that the mum of three is more grateful than ever to have Fearne in her corner, as is her husband Dan. We’re told, ‘Dan is thrilled that Fearne has got Holly’s back, because he worries that she’s been putting too much pressure on herself lately, and he doesn’t feel qualified to give her the type of advice that Fearne can. Holly appreciates Fearne’s wisdom – she’s just so happy that they’ve managed to maintain their friendship.’