Bosses are said to be working on a huge deal to keep Holly on This Morning. But will she stay?
It will be 14 years this September since Holly Willoughby joined This Morning, but could this year be her last on the show? Bosses at ITV are thought to be worried that Holly is ready to quit her hosting role after last year’s ‘queuegate’ scandal surrounding her and her co-host Phillip Schofield visiting the late Queen Elizabeth’s lying in state. It’s rumoured that Holly, 42, is ‘frustrated’ with how ITV bosses handled the controversy – which saw a petition to have her and Phil removed from This Morning reach more than 70,000 signatures – and ‘upset’ at the fact she was left to make a statement on behalf of her and Phil on her own. While ITV did release a statement in support of the duo, Holly was said to feel let down.
The worried team are now thought to be putting together a mega deal in a desperate bid to prevent Holly from walking. But is it too little too late?
Bumper deal
Holly’s This Morning contract expires in December, but renewal negotiations are yet to start and, according to insiders, bosses are a lot more concerned about approaching these conversations than they have been in the past, as Holly is thought to be unhappy. ‘The queuegate backlash was absolutely devastating for Holly, but what made matters worse was the feeling it was mishandled,’ a source revealed. ‘ITV’s decision to remain silent before finally issuing a statement was frustrating, as it felt like they were shutting the door after the horse had bolted. Then, to add insult to injury, Holly was left to explain the pair’s decision by herself, while Phil remained silent. The feeling was she bore the brunt of criticism over the scandal and that, unsurprisingly, left Holly feeling quite bruised.’ The insider continued, ‘Bosses know last year was incredibly hard for her and as such, they are not approaching her contract negotiations with the same confidence as they have previously.’
Meanwhile, an ITV source said, ‘Holly is a much loved, respected and valued member of not just the This Morning team but the entire ITV family. Since Holly joined 14 years ago, This Morning has been part of the national conversation and one of the UK’s favourite daytime shows, and as one of the country’s foremost and most talented presenters, ITV holds Holly in the highest esteem.’
Bearing this in mind, and despite them having a long list of presenters-in-waiting, it’s safe to say that ITV bosses will do whatever it takes to try and keep Holly from walking out the door, no matter what her demands may be.
