EXCLUSIVE: She’s dipped in and out of TV since her departure from This Morning, but Holly Willoughby is set to make her most dramatic return to the spotlight yet
Former This Morning star Holly is set for a huge comeback(Image: PA)
TV’s former golden girl Holly Willoughby is on the cusp of stepping back into the spotlight with a brand new show set to rival This Morning.
The star has been absent from our screens for over a year and is said to be more than ready to make a comeback after her last big project, Netflix reality show Celebrity Bear Hunt, was axed after just one series.
The blow came after her two other big shows, ITV ’s Dancing On Ice and You Bet!, were also shelved.
Now Holly, 45, is set to stage a hotly anticipated return to our screens with a new YouTube lifestyle show called Together. And in a canny move, the four-times-a-week show is launching just as This Morning co-hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard head off on their annual summer break.
“Holly can’t wait to get back into the spotlight and thinks this YouTube show is a pathway to getting back on actual TV,” a source said.
“This is her way of reminding the top TV executives how good she is, how well-connected she is, how great she is as a presenter and why ITV bosses should look at her.
“Now all three of her shows have been dropped, this is Holly’s only option and she’s got to make it work.”
Despite decades of experience fronting prime-time shows, we’re told Holly is feeling jittery about her big comeback and under pressure to make the new format a success. “She’s got fears about returning to the spotlight,” the source explained.
“She feels she’s had a tough time and she knows there will be criticism, but this is a showcase for the world to see that Holly’s back – she’s back on our screens as our golden girl. So yes, she feels pressure, but she’s got nothing to lose.”
Holly first teased fans that a new show was in the pipeline early last month, with a cryptic Instagram post.
Sharing snaps of herself out and about in London, the star – who shocked viewers when she quit This Morning in October 2023 – wrote, “Just had a brilliant meeting about a project I’m really excited about… things are happening at quite the pace! Can’t wait to bring it to life and share it with you.”
While Holly might be feeling apprehensive about her big return, she can rest assured she is in safe hands. Hungry Bear Media, the TV production company behind Together, is helmed by her husband Dan Baldwin and is responsible for hit shows including Gladiators and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show.
While a shift away from terrestrial TV to an online venture might seem like a gamble, an industry insider tells us it’s a smart move.
“This YouTube format will give her more of an opportunity to be creative and playful, and we’ll definitely get to see another side to her,” says talent agent and PR expert Dermot McNamara.
“She has amassed a huge online following over the years and lots of people will be very much looking forward to seeing what she will be doing and what comes next for her.”
However, Dermot admits that ditching traditional telly for YouTube will be a big worry for the star.
“Tension, nerves and a bit of fear are always very natural, even when you are a consummate professional like Holly and you’ve been presenting for decades,” he says.
“I think, especially as this is a new format she’s doing, there will be some apprehension there.”
Holly won’t be the only one feeling nervous about her new and exciting project. TV insiders predict Together will be a lifestyle show very much in the same mould as This Morning, so it’s highly likely hosts Cat and Ben – not to mention ITV’s bigwigs – will be fearful of Holly stealing their daytime thunder.
“It will be a bit of a kick in the teeth for them, with Ben and Cat being on holiday,” admits Dermot. “But maybe Holly decided to be respectful to them and do it during the holiday, so then there isn’t that big competition of who’s going to win the ratings war.
“Maybe she wanted to go out and do it in her own right, and to ensure that no one’s pitted up against each other unfairly.”
Earlier this month, Holly dropped hints that she’s close to making a comeback to our screens. Sharing a snap on Instagram, she suggested she was already filming new content, writing, “Reunited with my absolute dream team today and my face, hair and outfit have never been more grateful.”
In her upload, she tagged make-up artist Patsy O’Neill, her stylist Danielle Whiteman and hairdresser Ciler Perksah. “Nobody does it like the OGs,” she added.
The star has also filed trademark requests for a wide variety of products under the Together brand, indicating she is keen to cash in, should the series become a success.
PR guru Dermot says, “It was only a matter of time before Holly was going to launch her own project, and something more substantial.
“A lot of people are now watching YouTube more than they are watching television, because it’s free, it’s portable and you can tune in and out.
“I think now’s the right time to do it and as soon as Holly settles into it and finds her groove, she’ll do just fine.”
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