IT has been an incredibly testing few years for former ITV treasure Holly Willoughby, with her work life as she knew it crumbling around her.
For the first time in years the 44-year-old has been left without a TV show – and she’s now at a serious crossroads and is poised to start a new chapter in her career.
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Once the princess of ITV, she is currently ‘showless’ with her beloved ITV for the first time in 21 years.
With her time on ITV’s This Morning now a distant memory, Holly was looking likely to land a series of lucrative deals with the streamers.
But in a further blow – her new Netflix show, Bear Hunt, with Bear Grylls, has been axed.
The news comes just weeks after Dancing On Ice was axed and on top of that, she has made the decision to step down from You Bet!, leaving Stephen Mulhern to present alone.
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She is set to appear briefly in the next series, but will no longer be hosting it.
It marks a huge shift in her work with ITV.
One option for the star could be a reboot of Record Breakers, which Holly’s husband Dan Baldwin is already working on.
There is currently no channel attached to the show, which is in its very early stages but sources say it would be a “perfect fit”.
A telly insider said: “Record Breakers is likely to be a prime time hit and it would make perfect sense for Holly to take the reins.
“She has worked alongside Dan before and the pair know what it takes to make great telly.”
She has also been linked to a reboot of Cilla Black’s best-known show, Blind Date.
The Sun told this week how the ITV classic is being revived – and in a surprise twist will go to global streaming service Disney+.
Producers want to keep the tradition of a top British female host, with a shortlist including Claudia Winkleman, Holly Willoughby and Davina McCall.
Sources say Holly is also being looked at for a new Channel 4 talent show, currently dubbed Secret Singers, which is searching for raw, undiscovered singing talent.
Love Productions – the creators of The Great British Bake Off and The Piano – have already put out a casting call.
An insider said: “This is likely to be a heartwarming and hugely popular show for all the family.
“They are looking for a the perfect host to make sure it’s a huge success and it could be perfect timing with Holly’s break in TV.”
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Holly returned to TV last year after 18 months – she had stepped down from presenting work entirely after discovering a plot to kidnap and murder her.
Evil Gavin Plumb was given three life sentences for planning to break into her home, then sedate, abduct and kill her and her husband.
It came just months after a very public falling out with her co-host Phillip Schofield, which ended with him leaving the show in May 2023.
Changes are happening behind the scenes, too.
Holly has a big decision to make with her media company Roxy after it was revealed she owes a huge amount to the tax man.
Roxy was set up in 2008 by Holly with husband Dan Baldwin.
But it wasn’t until 2022 that Holly filed the first annual accounts for her all-female ran company after she made the decision to leave former talent agency YMU in 2020.
Roxy Media deals with TV show “production activities”, according to its listing on Companies House.
But just three years on, Roxy has now been slapped with a winding up order.
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Action against the company was launched in January and the court was told Holly’s company has already settled a bill of £377,000 with the taxman, with an unknown amount still owed.
In recent weeks Holly has turned to close friend Christine Lampard for support.
Like Holly she has enjoyed long stints with ITV, but has also stepped away from them at times.
Sources have said that Holly is inspired by Christine’s career and her work-life balance and is hoping to emulate that herself.
They said: “Holly is ready for a rebrand and has definitely been looking at those around her for inspiration.”
Addressing her incredibly difficult time, Holly recently told The Sunday Times Style Magazine: “It’s been tough. There’s no way of sugar-coating it.”
Discussing why she felt moving forward was her only option, Holly said: “Sometimes things go wrong, but you have to keep going for it because that’s all you can do.”
And it looks like Holly is moving forward – but not before making some serious changes.
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