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holly willoughby quits.jpg

Holly Willoughby Quits 'This Morning' After Being Targeted In A Kidnap And Murder Plot

By Emily Richardson | TV | October 12, 2023 |

By Emily Richardson | TV | October 12, 2023 |

holly willoughby quits.jpg

It’s been a wild year for fans of ITV’s daytime chat show, This Morning. Back in the spring, longtime host Phillip Schofield stepped down from the show after admitting he had an affair with a much younger former co-worker.

In the weeks leading up to the big confession, numerous mystery sources informed the British press that Phillip and his long-time co-host/bestie, Holly Willoughby, had fallen out. Clearly, Holly was distancing herself from Phillip ahead of the scandal. After he admitted to the affair, Holly released a brief statement insisting that Phillip lied to her about the relationship and she was hurt.

Phillip left This Morning on May 20. On July 23, ITV announced that 42-year-old Holly would be the show’s head presenter, and Alison Hammond, Dermot O’Leary, Josie Gibson, and Craig Doyle would act as her rotating co-hosts.

Then, last Thursday, moments before she was set to go on air, Metropolitan police informed Holly that she was the target of a kidnapping and murder plot. Excuse me?! The Sun reports that a “shocked and distraught” Holly was immediately pulled from hosting and taken into protective custody. A round-the-clock police guard was posted outside her London home, where she lives with her husband and three children.

The night before, police had arrested Gavin Plumb, a 36-year-old shopping mall security guard from Harlow, Essex. Authorities allegedly found “sinister messages” threatening to kidnap and “seriously harm” Holly in Plumb’s phone. They also discovered weapons and plans for a “kidnapping and restraint kit” in his flat.

On Friday, Plumb appeared in court, where he was charged with soliciting to commit murder and incitement to kidnap. Prosecutor Shefa Begum told the court that the suspect had a “detailed plan” and was part of a “vast network of like-minded individuals”. Plumb allegedly contacted a hitman in America to murder Holly, and had gone so far as to arrange flights and transfers for the contract killer.

During his court appearance, Gavin Plumb spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, address, and where he worked. He is currently in custody, and his plea hearing is scheduled for November 3.

Holly’s fellow presenters acknowledged the scary news on Friday’s This Morning. Alison Hammond said the entire team was “obviously shocked” and they wanted to send their “love and biggest hugs to Holly and her family.” Meanwhile, Holly’s agent and publicist directed all press inquiries to the police.

On Tuesday, Holly broke her silence in an Instagram post and announced she would not be returning to This Morning. There was no mention of the kidnapping and murder plot. Here’s Holly’s statement:

I have let ITV know today that after 14 years, I will not be returning to This Morning.

To everyone who has ever worked on the show over the years, thank you so so much. This is such a difficult goodbye, you are incredible, and I forever will be proud of what we’ve done together. Thank you to everyone at ITV for being supportive. To every guest who has sat on our sofa, thank you.

Most of all, thank you to the wonderful viewers. You’ve been so loyal, so supportive and the very best company every day.

Richard and Judy said, ‘We only look after this show, it will always belong to the viewers.’ It’s been an honour to just be part of its story and I know this story has many chapters left to go. Sadly, however, I now feel I have to make this decision for me and my family.

I will miss you all so much.

Holly.

Holly’s decision to quit was such a huge deal that SkyNews interrupted their Israel-Palestine coverage to report on this “breaking news.” Journalist Mark Austin was literally on the ground in Jerusalem when he smoothly pivoted to the Holly story:

ITV’s Managing Director, Kevin Lygo, said in a statement that the network was sad to see Holly go, but they respected her decision. Yesterday’s episode of This Morning began with a brief tribute to Holly’s 14 years of hosting:

Welp, this whole story is absolutely bonkers. Thank the British morning show gods (Richard and Judy) that Holly and her family are unharmed.