Holly Willoughby

Holly Marie Willoughby (born 10 February 1981) is an English television presenter, author and model.

In 1995, at the age of 14, Willoughby was spotted by talent scouts at The Clothes Show Live exhibition and signed with the model agency, Storm Management.

She appeared in teen magazines for girls such as Mizz, Just Seventeen, Shout, and More!.

From 1998, at the age of 17, Willoughby started modelling bras, underwear and tights for clients including Pretty Polly, appearing in advertisements and posters.

In 2000, Willoughby won an audition for a show on CITV featuring S Club 7 called S Club TV.

In this show actors represented an alternative S Club.

She also appeared in a show called S Club 7: Artistic Differences playing a character called Zoe with the regular members of the band.

Willoughby worked as a receptionist for a while and then as a runner for the defunct shopping channel Auction World TV.

Willoughby also took on menial jobs and started an Open University course in psychotherapy.

Then eventually, she found work as assistant manager during which time she persuaded a friend to make a showreel of her.

This secured her an agent who then contacted the BBC.

Later in 2002, Willoughby presented a factual entertainment programme for children called Xchange and went on to host several other children's shows for CBBC: X-perimental and CBBC at the Fame Academy (CBBC's version of the BBC talent show Fame Academy).

Willoughby's first role as a children's entertainer came when she rejoined CITV in 2004 to co-present the entertainment show Ministry of Mayhem which aired on Saturday mornings.

On this programme she met her future husband Dan Baldwin, one of the show's producers.

In 2005, Willoughby presented Feel the Fear, a children's entertainment programme in which the presenters are set unnerving challenges.

She has also had a number of minor appearances on other children's programmes.

Willoughby presented CD:UK for a short while in the spring of 2005, replacing Cat Deeley before Myleene Klass, Lauren Laverne and Johny Pitts became the regular presenters.

Willoughby has presented a number of other ITV programmes, including spin-off shows such as Celebrity Wrestling: Bring It On in 2005, Greased Lightnin' in 2007, and The Xtra Factor for two years in 2008 and 2009.

In 2006, the show's title was changed to Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown in order to reflect the popularity of its co-presenters, Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern.

In recognition of work as a children's television presenter, Willoughby won a BAFTA Children's Award in 2006.

In 2006, she was chosen to co-present, with Phillip Schofield, the television show Dancing on Ice, in which celebrities are partnered with professional dancers to learn ice-dancing routines which are judged by a panel of experts and voted on by audiences.

In 2007, she took over from Davina McCall as the presenter of Streetmate, a dating game show during its transition from Channel 4 to ITV2.

Willoughby hosted the show for its final series.

In the same year, Willoughby co-presented Holly & Fearne Go Dating with Fearne Cotton.

The show saw the two hosts attempt to find dates for single people that they meet around the UK.

From 2008 to 2020, Willoughby was a team captain on the ITV2 comedy panel show Celebrity Juice. Her other television work includes The Xtra Factor (2008–2009), Text Santa (2011–2013, 2015), The Voice UK (2012–2013), Surprise Surprise (2012–2015), Play to the Whistle (2015–2017), I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (2018), Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof (2022), and The Games (2022).

Willoughby was born in Brighton, East Sussex, the younger of two daughters of Brian Willoughby, a sales manager of a double-glazing company, and Linda Willoughby (née Fleming), a former air stewardess.

She was educated at the independent Burgess Hill Girls in the town of Burgess Hill in West Sussex, and The College of Richard Collyer in Horsham.

Since 2008, Willoughby appeared as a team captain on Celebrity Juice, presenting series 1–11 and 13–23 (taking a break in series 12 due to maternity leave).

She has presented various television shows for ITV, including This Morning (2009–2023) and Dancing on Ice (2006–2011, 2018–present).

Willoughby began co-presenting ITV's This Morning with Phillip Schofield in September 2009 until his departure in May 2023, replacing Fern Britton.

Willoughby presented the programme from Monday to Thursday mornings until her departure in October 2023.

Willoughby remained in the role until 2011 due to new commitments.

She was replaced by Christine Lampard.

In 2011, Willoughby co-presented charity telethon Text Santa with Ant & Dec.

She returned to co-host the show with Phillip Schofield in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

On 24 March 2012, Willoughby began presenting The Voice UK with Reggie Yates.

In 2012, Willoughby began hosting a revived version of Surprise Surprise.

She decided to leave the show after the second series and was replaced by Emma Willis in 2014.

She left the show after 12 years in May 2020.