Holly Willoughby opened up after a horrific murder plot that put her life in danger
Holly Willoughby made her first Netflix debut with Celebrity Bear Hunt(Image: Holly Willoughby on Instagram)
TV star Holly Willoughby has spoken candidly about life after leaving ITV’s This Morning behind and a horrific murder plot that put her life in danger.
The 43-year-old presenter is hosting Bear Gryll’s new celebrity-survival show on Netflix, Celebrity Bear Hunt. She’s previously shared that her time on the show has helped her become more “fearless” and that Bear has been a welcome inspiration.
Speaking to The Mirror, Holly shared: “All I’ve learned out of life is you never know what’s around the corner. So I’m like, one day at a time, one step at a time, just like in the jungle” when asked if she’ll do more shows with Netflix after this one.
In this new series, 12 celebrities arrive in a Costa Rican jungle to participate in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse where they have to evade capture from nature’s scariest predator – Bear Grylls.
Holly admitted that she’s “learned a load” from Bear, adding: “I just assumed that here was this man that had no fear, and actually he does have fear, but he doesn’t let that fear hold him back. And I thought, God, that’s brilliant. It really is something I want to try, and even if I can do it a tiny bit, then I think that will help.”
This is Holly’s first solo-hosting opportunity, with her other regular TV slot with Dancing On Ice where she’s joined by Stephen Mulhern. Stephen replaced Holly’s long-term co-star Philip Schofield after he had an “unwise but otherwise legal” affair with a younger colleague while working on This Morning.
When asked if working on a show from ITV suggests a fresh start, Holly coyly responded: “I think when you do anything new, it feels like that. And it’s nice to try new things and go to new places. I’ve never been to Central America before, so this just felt like the right thing to do at the right time. Sometimes it’s nice to be out of your comfort zone. And when Bear calls me and said, ‘you want to go on an adventure?’ I was like, yes, 100%.”
She continued: “My kids are that little bit older now, so it felt like the right time that I could do it, you know, the wheels weren’t going to fall off my life if I left home.” Holly left her three children at home with husband Dan Baldwin for three weeks while filming in Costa Rica.
Not only was Holly struggling with the breakdown of a very public friendship, but in July 2023, Gavin Plumb was sentenced to life imprisonment after the news of his kidnap, rape and murder plot against Holly came to light.
At the time, Holly commented: “As women, we should not be made to feel unsafe going about our daily lives and in our own home.” Gavin Plumb will serve at least 15 years and 85 days in prison.
Speaking about hosting on her own, the former This Morning star admitted: “I know what you mean, normally there’s somebody alongside me. But actually, what’s been quite nice, obviously, Bear’s with me for a fair bit of it. And if Bear’s not there, then I’m either with the celebrities or I’m with them.
“So for me, like when you’re on telly, even if you’re on your own, it’s always about connections. You’re either connecting through the camera with the person that’s watching, or you’re connecting with the person you’re interviewing, so it doesn’t actually feel like a lonely place ever. I don’t think.”
While Holly appears more comfortable hosting rather than participating, she confessed that she would be “utterly useless” if she was one of the celebrities taking part. She added: “I mean, that’s why I honestly, if the call came through, I would sit in the corner and cry. I just, I wouldn’t have said yes to this, like if I’d been asked to take part. “I just wouldn’t, because I’d have been, I’d have been too scared, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”
Holly praised the 12 celebrities for putting on a brave front, and commented: “But that’s why I’m so in awe of our 12 celebs taking part, because I just think, God, well done you.”
Co-star Bear Grylls disagreed with Holly, and insisted how well she’s done: “She’s always deflecting, saying how great [the celebs] are, and they were all great, but you come off a sort of a career of pressure. Live TV is pressure. So I think you’re pretty good at that. And I think I kept thinking, you would be, you’d be steelier than you give yourself credit for.”
Celebrity Bear Hunt is available to stream now on Netflix.