After a stormy few months amid the ongoing dramas at This Morning, Holly Willoughby is said to be considering a new start
It’s been a turbulent few months for Holly Willoughby, and last week the stress appeared to have caught up with the presenter as she updated fans about her ongoing recovery from a bout of painful shingles.
Confined to her West London home for a week, friends, including co-star Phillip Schofield and Dermot O’Leary – who delivered a batch of chicken soup and salt beef to her house – sent their well wishes to Holly, 42.
Her illness came just weeks after Phil’s brother Timothy’s sexual assault trial, which earlier this month found him guilty of abusing a teenage boy.
The case, which led to Phil, 62, heartbreakingly revealing, “I no longer have a brother”, threw the team at This Morning into turmoil as producers scrambled to find a replacement. But a source reveals that Holly was a tower of strength for her close friend throughout.
The insider says, “Holly was in regular touch with Phillip during his break from the show. Making the decision he did about his brother wasn’t easy and Phil has had to rely on friends, especially Holly, for support and advice. And Holly, as always, has been more than happy to provide it.”
ON THE BRINK
But while the pair, who have been presenting the show together since 2009, last week reunited on screen for the first time in a month, viewers’ continuing comments over September’s “queue-gate” scandal – which saw 75,000 viewers sign a petition to boot Holly and Phil off-air after they were accused of skipping the wait at the late Queen’s lying-in-state, something they both deny – give the sense the duo are always teetering on the brink of yet another drama.
And after enduring a tense few weeks while they rode the public storm, insiders says that this latest hurdle has left the exhausted star questioning her future on the ITV show.
They say, “Holly can’t deny that things have been tough recently and there are people who are determined to cause trouble. She really feels like she can’t stand this situation anymore, but is still hoping the drama can all be over and they can work through it.
PASSIONS
“She g
