She was once TV’s golden girl, dominating daytime and weekend screens, but Holly Willoughby’s career has faltered in recent months. It’s been one setback after another for the former This Morning host, who currently finds herself at a loose end for the first time in 21 years after Dancing On Ice was axed. It comes after she announced her decision to step back from the revamped You Bet!, while a second series of Netflix’s Bear Hunt is looking unlikely.
Now, we’re told that Strictly Come Dancing are desperate to sign Holly, 44, up for their next series – as a contestant. However, while she’s a fan of the show, the presenter has been strongly advised against it, as it would undo the image she’s been trying to build.
‘Strictly are desperate to snap Holly up for the next series, but her team have advised her that isn’t where she should be positioned at all,’ we’re told. ‘They’ve told her it could destroy her career. She’s a prime-time host, not a celeb talent-show contestant, and changing that perception of her could have a negative effect. Her friends and family agree. While the money would be great – in the high six figures – it’s just not worth it.’
The source continues, ‘Strictly would be professional suicide. While it’s amazing for people who need to boost their profiles or take the next step in their career, Holly’s at the top of her game, so her team feel it would be a step down.’
The 21st series of the BBC dance show is set to start in the autumn, with Sort Your Life Out’s Stacey Solomon, Queen Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles, ex-Made In Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo and former footballer Ashley Cain among the celebs rumoured to be taking part. While Holly has said she’s ‘a massive fan’ of the show – which is hosted by Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly – she has previously admitted she wouldn’t be great as a contestant, joking that she had two left feet.
‘I’d love to learn to dance, but I wouldn’t want to do it on telly. Everyone would be watching me do it and that would be horrendous, because I’m not very good at dancing. I’d probably be as bad as Ed Balls,’ she said.
Holly – who’s mum to Harry, 15, Belle, 14, and Chester, 10 – stepped down from her 14-year role on This Morning, which she co-hosted with former best friend Phillip Schofield, in October 2023, after being targeted in a horrific kidnap, rape and murder plot by security guard Gavin Plumb. Plumb was found guilty last July, and sentenced to life in jail with a minimum term of 16 years.
Speaking about that difficult time, Holly said in January, ‘It’s been a tough one. There’s no way of sugar-coating it.’
Holly’s This Morning exit came five months after Phillip’s, who quit in May 2023 after admitting to an ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a younger male colleague. ‘I forever will be proud of what we’ve done together. Sadly, I now feel I have to make this decision for me and my family,’ Holly said at the time.
Away from TV, Holly has a few other projects on the go, such as her Wylde Moon wellness brand, and her partnerships with Garnier and Dunelm. She’s also been touted to host the BBC reboot of Cilla Black’s iconic dating show Blind Date, which TV exec husband Dan Baldwin, 50, is said to be bringing back. But despite the current drought in TV work, we’re told Holly is taking comfort in the fact that it’s hopefully just a blip.
‘She might be having a career wobble, but her management have told her everyone goes through one – even the biggest names,’ our source says. ‘They have a meticulous plan to navigate it and they feel that fronting a new show is the answer.
‘Bear Hunt didn’t have quite the impact they’d hoped, but they’ve reassured Holly she’s still very popular.’