Holly Willoughby says she ‘thought she had things worked out in her 40s before life kicked her in the ass’ as she lauds her ‘teeny’ group of friends for sustaining her before big comeback

Holly Willoughby has shared how she ‘thought her life was going well’ when she hit her 40s, before a horrific kidnap and rape plot forced her to step away from the spotlight.

The former This Morning presenter, 45, has launched a comeback by announcing a new lifestyle show titled Together, which will air on YouTube on July 28.

decorating the cover Grazia MagazineHolly has now shared that she felt compelled to return to the industry after life ‘kicked her ass’ because the alternative was simply ‘doing nothing’.

She went on to praise her “tiny” community of loved ones and close friends who supported her as she planned her return to television.

Holly also recently opened up about her time on This Morning and her departure, and gave the Daily Mail’s Katie Hind a glimpse of her new show. You can read the entire interview here.

Holly left This Morning in 2023 and a few weeks later she learned of an extraordinary plot by former security guard Gavin Plumb to kidnap, rape and murder her. Gavin has since been found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Speaking about her ordeal, Holly said: ‘I started my forties thinking a lot: ‘I’ve got my life sorted now.” Sometimes life really knows how to kick you and say ‘Wait a minute.’

Sharing that she is ‘not afraid’ of the reaction to her new venture, Holly added: ‘If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But you should try. What is the other option? To sit in fear and never do anything again?’

Holly went on to praise her close-knit community for helping her through such a challenging time.

He said: ‘My community has literally become quite tiny lately. I had my mother, father, sister, nephew, children, husband and close close friends.

‘This was my community and we are very solid. You know who those people are in your life. You can literally ring your doorbell and say “Hello, Wine Time?” They are the ones who say. They’re just there.”

The Mail on Sunday first revealed in January that Holly, who has worked in television for almost 25 years and is reportedly paid a salary of £730,000 a year from ITV, was working on a new digital project.

Holly Willoughby Together will air twice a week on July 28 in five episodes: Talk Together, Cook Together, Look Good Together, Better Together and Hang Out Together.

She works with a team at her husband Dan Baldwin’s television production company, Hungry Bear, which is behind shows including Gladiators and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, both of which are shown on BBC One.

The former This Morning presenter has launched a comeback by announcing a new lifestyle show titled Together, which will be released on YouTube on July 28.

Holly, who graces the cover of Grazia Magazine, shared how she felt compelled to return to the industry after the ordeal she went through, thinking the alternative was “doing nothing”

She praised her “tiny” community of loved ones and close friends who supported her as she planned her return to television

Sharing that she is ‘not afraid’ of the reaction to her new venture, Holly added: ‘If it doesn’t work, it won’t work. But you have to try’

A friend of the star told The Mail on Sunday, January: ‘Holly has been doing television for 25 years and now wants to do her own thing. ‘And now that daytime television is largely in decline, it’s time for something new. Exciting, this is something very new and innovative, I hope it works.

‘The television landscape has changed so much that people are consuming content on TikTok and other digital platforms.

‘Holly now saw the opportunity to start something new that had a future, unlike the things she had done in the past.’

When Holly left This Morning after learning of an extraordinary plot to kidnap, rape and murder her, she found she had a lot more time on her hands.

For 14 years, he had sat on the couch at the crack of dawn, rising to present the show alongside his former co-star and friend Phillip Schofield. Holly was ITV’s busiest star and bosses at the channel wanted her on screen as much as possible.

But Holly was left badly shaken by the kidnap threat that has seen former security guard Gavin Plumb jailed for life in 2024.

As she embarks on a move back into live television by hosting two more series of Dancing On Ice and Netflix’s big-budget reality series Celebrity Bear Hunt, Holly believes her future lies away from terrestrial broadcasting.

The source explained: ‘Although he still has a good relationship with ITV, he has walked away from shows there and has no intention of returning at the moment.

‘He was offered the chance to host You Bet but he turned it down and there were other opportunities: He could take them and pick up where he left off when he had that terrible time with Gavin Plumb.

‘But Holly has an idea and she knows if she doesn’t do it now she’ll never know if it will work. Of course it’s a risk, but he wanted a change. ‘He won’t just be in front of the camera, he’ll also be behind the camera and that’s very exciting.’

But the pal added: ‘Of course there’s a lot of misogyny towards Holly, there will always be people saying she doesn’t have a job at the moment or she’s done – but they’re just resentful and usually men.’

Read the full interview in the new issue of Grazia magazine, on sale now.