After a prolonged spell of turmoil in her personal and professional life that saw her fly under the radar for a while, Holly Willoughby spent the last few months of 2024 reintegrating herself back into the spotlight.
She broke her four-month Instagram grid hiatus in September, wasting no time filling her profile with highlights from glamorous social events and work. And as we enter a new year, heat has learned that in the wake of everything she’s been through, the TV presenter is determined to live life unapologetically from here on out.
We’re told, ‘The past year has been a real learning curve for Holly. She has found a strength she didn’t know she had, and wants to take that into the new year and beyond.
‘She really has gone beyond caring what people think. As long as her friends and family love her and she feels happy, that’s all that matters. For years, she was seen as the perfect golden girl of TV, and she found it hard to live up to that. But now, she only wants to do things that will make her content. In hindsight, leaving This Morning was the best thing that happened to her as she feels a lot freer.’
For 14 years, Holly, 43, and her now-estranged best pal Phillip Schofield were the unofficial king and queen of daytime TV. But in May 2023, following months of speculation that their friendship was on the rocks, it broke down for good when it emerged that Phillip, 62, lied about having what he described as an ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a much younger colleague, leading to his resignation from ITV.
Just five months later, Holly – who is mum to Harry, 15, Belle, 13, and Chester, 10, with husband Dan Baldwin – stepped down from This Morning herself, amid the shocking news of a kidnap, rape and murder plot against her, which saw Gavin Plumb sentenced to life imprisonment in July. In a statement released at the time, Holly said, ‘As women, we should not be made to feel unsafe going about our daily lives and in our own home.’
Then, in September, her fall-out with Phil came back to the fore when he made his TV comeback on Channel 5’s Cast Away. As well as apparently mocking Holly’s famed ‘Are you OK?’ speech – the one she delivered following news of his ITV departure – it was later reported that he refers to her as ‘The Witch’. But, in spite of all the hardships, we’re told Holly is keen to hit the ground running in 2025. And it seems she’s already begun. Early in December, she jetted off to Mauritius with three of her friends to celebrate Nicole Appleton’s 50th, tagging in a hotel and travel company for the freebie holiday.
She’s also been showing off a younger, edgier look while presenting the hit ITV remake of You Bet!, but the biggest shift in her career to date will be in February, when her Netflix show Bear Hunt drops. This could make her a global star and is said to have earned her a whopping £1million.
Our source says, ‘After everything that’s happened, Holly’s realised life is too short and she doesn’t want any regrets. Before, she used to worry about taking things like gifted holidays with her friends because she didn’t want people to think she was rubbing their faces in it. But now, she feels she should accept these opportunities when they’re offered. The children are getting older, which frees her up more. But also, she has worked so hard that she is in a good position to only take on projects that she wants to – there is no pressure to be a certain way anymore. She is going to start saying yes to more things that she feels are right for her.’
