Holly Willoughby’s agony over £10m legal battle

Is her easy breezy reputation on the line?

Holly Willoughby legal battle

by Charlotte Oliver |
Updated on

She’s the perma-smiling golden girl of morning TV, universally loved by celebs, fans, animals, children and every single nan up and down the country. But Holly Willoughby is said to be concerned that her perfect image will be unfairly tarnished by accusations of “greed”, after becoming embroiled in a legal battle with her former agents.

Last week, it was revealed the YMU Group – who represented Holly for 13 years before she left to set up her own company, Roxy, last year – have demanded a cut of Holly’s future earnings as “sunset provisions”, commissions that can be collected by a former agent, if the client renews deals initially negotiated by that agent.

Holly Willoughby
©Getty

This would technically mean they could claim up to 15 per cent on Holly’s future earnings from massively lucrative gigs on This Morning, Dancing On Ice and her brand deal with Marks & Spencer – potentially worth £10m.

But a defiant Holly is fighting back and has called in the lawyers. The only problem is, she’s apparently worried about what people will think about the ensuing legal battle – and is worried her girl-next-door image might end up being negatively affected.

CHECK OUT Holly Willoughby's career from the start

Gallery

Holly Willoughby career timeline slider with cover pic

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CREDIT: u00a9 Getty Images

Swipe through to see Holly Willoughby's career highlights...

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CREDIT: u00a9 19 Television

2000: 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.

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CREDIT: u00a9 Getty Images

2004: 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!

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CREDIT: u00a9 Getty Images

2005: 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.

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CREDIT: u00a9 ITV

2006: 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.

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CREDIT: u00a9 ITV2

2008: 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.

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CREDIT: u00a9 ITV2

2009: 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.

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CREDIT: u00a9 ITV

2009: 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.

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CREDIT: u00a9 BBC

2012: 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.

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CREDIT: u00a9 ITV

2012: 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.

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CREDIT: u00a9 ITV

2016: 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.

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CREDIT: u00a9 ITV

2018: 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.

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CREDIT: u00a9 ITV

2018: 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!"

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CREDIT: u00a9 ITV

2018: 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 doesn’t want to come across as greedy or cold-hearted, as that’s not who she is,” says an insider close to the TV presenter, who has an estimated fortune of over £10m.

“She really worries about what viewers think when anything remotely scandalous happens. Holly trades on her everywoman image and has lots of lucrative deals, so she doesn’t want things to turn nasty.”

The 40 year old raised eyebrows last year after leaving her long-standing agents – who also represent her BFF Phillip Schofield, as well as Amanda Holden and Ant & Dec – and setting up her own female-run agency. At the time, insiders said that she was plotting an even bigger showbiz career, which could see her take a step away from Phil and claim the spotlight solo.

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But there’s no denying that YMU had a big hand in her career, overseeing her transition from children’s presenter to ITV’s biggest star, and they insist they’re duly owed commission for any contracts that get renewed.

But while mum-of-three Holly may be worried about looking greedy – we’re told she’s far more concerned about standing up for what she believes is right.

“To her, this is just business,” the source adds. “But she knows not everyone will see it like that. She works incredibly hard and only wants what is fair. It’s a stressful time for her – there’s millions at stake.”

Read more in the latest issue of heat magazine – OUT NOW.

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