She’s been known to weep at the sight of babies – whether of the human, dog or cat variety – whenever they appear on This Morning, and even after three children of her own, Holly Willoughby is still feeling broody.
The 40 year old may already be mum to Harry, 12, Belle, ten, and Chester, six, but an insider tells us she’s seriously considering trying for a fourth.
“Holly is still feeling incredibly torn about her family, future and career,” says heat’s source.
“The tough part is that, for a long time now, she’s been thinking about whether she would have another child – and she’s decided that if she’s going to do it, it’s now or never. She doesn’t want there to be too much of an age gap between siblings and she also doesn’t want to have a baby any later in life, but the timing feels more pressured than ever, because of where she’s at work-wise.”
CHECK OUT Holly Willoughby's career timeline
Holly Willoughby career timeline slider with cover pic
1 of 14Swipe through to see Holly Willoughby's career highlights...
2 of 142000: S Club TV
Back when Tina was doing her dance, and Jon was looking for romance, Holly was doing a pretty impressive job as a stand in member of S Club 7 for their TV movie S Club 7: Artistic Differences. In the children's comedy, the band split when artistic differences tore them apart (Paul heading off to start a rival band, Rachel leaving to get married) – but Holly helped keep the peace as a character named Zoe.
3 of 142004: Holly & Stephen’s Saturday Showdown AKA Ministry of Mayhem
Originally called Ministry of Mayhem, Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown was a mad cap CiTV game show that saw the show hosts camp it up as housemates that welcomed boys and girls teams in to their living room for an assortment of competitions.It is also the setting where Holly met her future husband, Dan Baldwin (they tied the knot in 2007 and have three children), and gave co-host Stephen Mulhern a platform to show off his magic skills. Fancy!
4 of 142005: CD:UK
Now we're not saying Cat Deeley can be replaced... but Holly was a pretty great successor to the fellow 40-year-old TV host. Holly helped many a hungover adult get through Saturday morning's by presenting the children's music chart show.
5 of 142006: Dancing on Ice
A glimpse of what was to come – Holly was paired with hosting icon Philip Schofield on the ice skating dance show that saw celebrities compete on skates under the tutelage of Olympic legends Torvill and Dean. Holly and Phil's warm chemistry was a hit with fan – pulling in over 12 million viewers at the show's peak.
6 of 142008: Xtra Factor
After Fearne Cotton but before Konnie Huq, Holly hosted The X Factor spin off show the year that music fans were thrilled by the likes of Alexandra Burke, JLS and Diana Vickers. The star arguably co-hosted with her first son, Harry, as she was pregnant with him while the show aired in 2008 – with her first baby arriving in May the following year. She returned to host again for series six – which was when Joe McElderry won.
7 of 142009: Celebrity Juice
The mad cap mayhem of presenting children's television shows was probably a good training ground for Holly to deal with the juvenile antics of Keith Lemon (aka Avid Merrion). Holly serves as a team captain on the bonkers late night game show with best friend Fearne Cotton championing her opposing team. The trio were a hit with viewers, until Fearne announced her departure from the show in December 2018."I'm going to miss you being on the other side of my banana... thank you for 10 years of laughter... love you @fearnecotton ... we are going to MISS you on @celebjuiceofficial SOOO much ud83dude25 xxxx," said Holly.
8 of 142009: This Morning
As well as delighting late night viewers, 2009 saw Holly enter the weekday TV format as she started hosting This Morning with Philip Schofield after the departure of Fern Britton. Fans of the pair have seen their friendship blossom on-screen as they still present together to this day – and have helped the magazine entertainment show scoop NTA, TRIC, TV Choice, and Freesat Awards along the way.And who could forget thatboozy TV appearance the morning after the night before, when Phil and Holly won the National Television Award for best day time TV? HILAIR.
9 of 142012: The Voice UK
Holly and Reggie Yates were the face of The Voice when it first launched in the UK on the BBC back in 2012. The duo held the show together for the first two years and worked alongside show coaches Sir Tom Jones, will.i.am, Jessie J and Danny O'Donoghue as they found champions Leanne Mitchell in 2012 and Andrea Begley in 2013.
10 of 142012: Surprise Surprise
When the long-running show was resurrected in 2012, Holly seemed like the natural choice to fill the shoes of Cilla Black. With her approachable demeanour and warm personality, Holly shone as she fronts the light entertainment show as members of the public have dreams made true.
11 of 142016: Meet the Parents
Proving herself as one of the hardest working women in showbiz, Holly doesn't slow down when the weekend arrives despite hosting This Morning four days per week. The hostess has most recently been helping singletons find love on the ITV dating show that sees parents vet prospective dates for their children.
12 of 142018: Coronation Street
In 2018, Holly had a cameo in beloved ITV soap Coronation Street, along with her co-host Phillip Schofield. The pair interviewed the characters of Rosie Webster, Craig Tinker and Gemma Winter as part of Rosie's exit storyline.
13 of 142018: Dancing on Ice (returns)
Back by popular demand, Phil and Holly were back in their gladrags to host the new series of Dancing on Ice in 2018, after the show's four year hiatus from our screens (Holly left in 2011, and was replaced by her friend Christine Bleakely)."What is really nice is I have found a new appreciation for this kind of show (which I love) since having the kids. It is exactly the type of show we sit and watch as a family," said Holly after announcing her return."We love Strictly, The X Factor and we love sitting there watching those big family event TV moments. It is nice my children are now old enough to come and watch and enjoy DOI!"
14 of 142018: I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
In arguably her most prestigious gig to date after This Morning, Holly was invited to stand in for Ant McPartlin presenting I'm a Celeb while he recovered from an illness.Rumours were swirling for a while about who would replace Ant, but when push came to shove, Holly was the only person Dec (Donnelly) wanted by his side during his co-host's hiatus. Initial reactions to Holly were mixed, but by the time Harry Redknapp was crowned King of the Jungle, the nation was in agreement that Holly – as usual – had smashed it.
Holly said in December last year that she wanted another baby after being introduced to presenter Rochelle Humes’ little boy. When co-host Phil laughed and said, “No, you don’t,” she insisted, “I do!”
As heat has previously told you, Holly has been considering her future on This Morning after 12 years on the show. And, with the presenter already doing some serious juggling of family life with TV producer husband Dan Baldwin and their kids alongside her showbiz career, we’re told she feels that, if they were to have another baby, her job may have to take a back seat.
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“Holly knows that if she decided to have another child, it could change everything at This Morning,” our insider reveals. “She’s already said she finds it a huge juggle with her family life and she hates missing out on the important life moments with her kids at home. She can’t imagine going through it all again with her busy TV schedule and knows that something will have to give. She’s had a golden run on This Morning, and is incredibly proud of everything she’s achieved, but now it might be time to move on, and make way for someone else to step into her shoes.”
But the real heartbreak for Holly would be leaving Phil behind, as we’re told, “She knows that realistically they wouldn’t see as much of each other if they weren’t always working together every day, at least until the baby was older. But for Holly, family always comes first.”
Read more in the latest issue of heat magazine – OUT NOW.