She’s worked hard to maintain the business-as-usual approach to proceedings, barely letting her perma-smile slip for a second. But according to insiders, Holly Willoughby’s brave face as she greets viewers on This Morning four days a week is masking a whole lot of worry and panic.
Last week, the star, who has cemented herself as lead presenter on the ITV show ever since her former “work husband” Phillip Schofield’s dramatic exit in May, welcomed a new guest host to the famous sofa – TV favourite Ben Shephard. But while Holly beamed as she introduced Ben, we’re told that his popularity with viewers, with fans taking to social media in their droves to hail his appearance, caused some alarm.
After all, Holly’s worked hard to navigate the storm of Phil’s departure – the last thing she wants is to now be eclipsed by a brighter star.
“Having Ben brought in for what seems like a trial run has left Holly feeling a little embarrassed,” says an insider close to the 42 year old, who has fronted the show alongside a carousel of guest co-hosts since May, except for during her annual summer hiatus.
“She sees herself as a big enough name to anchor the show, but Ben obviously comes with a huge amount of experience and has been in the game longer than Holly.
“She certainly doesn’t have anything against him personally, and they’ve been great professional friends for years, but him coming on the show has left her feeling unsettled. As nice as Ben is, there’s naturally going to be a bit of a power struggle there.”
As heat has told you, Holly has done all she can to come back fighting since Phillip confessed to lying about an affair with a younger colleague, and duly quit all his roles at ITV. He insisted at the time that Holly knew nothing of his “unwise, but not illegal” relationship – something she doubled down on, severing all ties with her former friend.
Since then, she’s barely looked back – on screen, at least – reportedly requesting more “girl power” energy from ITV bosses, who have enlisted co-hosts like Alison Hammond and Josie Gibson to join her. But Ben’s appearance on the show, we’re told, hits differently.
As one of the UK’s most prominent presenters, and with a legion of fans already from his time on Good Morning Britain and Tipping Point, Holly can’t help but feel threatened. Add to that the fact that fans are already calling for him to become a permanent fixture, with comments like “More of Ben Shephard please” and “He’s definitely a keeper” flooding social media, and that feeling of threat becomes all the more real.
“Ben could not be more respectful, but after audiences raved about him, it did create a slightly awkward atmosphere,” says our source.
“After everything that went down with Phil, Holly saw it as an opportunity to show ITV bosses and viewers that she was capable of anchoring the show herself, with the help of some of the relief presenters.
“But by bringing Ben in, it feels as though the bosses think there needs to be a big name by Holly’s side to fill Phillip’s shoes. It’s hard for her not to find it slightly insulting and feel like she’s been pushed aside, and there have been some tense conversations with producers about the future of the show. It’s not that bosses think Holly can’t handle it all on her own, but that’s how it’s made her feel.”
It is no secret that, despite always insisting they were the very best friends, there were rumours of tension between Holly and Phil before he dramatically quit, with insiders alleging he was threatened by her popularity surpassing his own.
Now that she’s standing front and centre, without any negativity or envy coming her way, the last thing Holly wants is for another rivalrous dynamic at work. We’ll be watching closely to see if there’s any subtle elbowing the next time she and Ben stand side by side…