Holly Willoughby WILL return to Dancing on Ice with Stephen Mulhern – after kidnap plot hell and quitting This Morning
HOLLY Willoughby is making a huge TV comeback – with the star signed up to host Dancing on Ice next month.
The 42-year-old hasn’t appeared on screens since announcing in October that she would not return to This Morning.
She will now join her old friend Deal or No Deal host Stephen Mulhern, 46, for Dancing on Ice‘s 15th series, which returns to ITV1 on Sunday 14 January.
ITV‘s head of entertainment commissioning Katie Rawcliffe described the partnership as “the start of an exciting year for the show”.
She said: “Holly and Stephen are two of our best loved presenters, so reuniting them twenty years after they first appeared on screen together to host Dancing on Ice marks the start of an exciting year for the show.”
The pair worked together in their 20s when they fronted ITV children’s show Ministry Of Mayhem.
They have also hosted Dancing on Ice together, with Stephen being parachuted onto the show in February last year when regular co-presenter Phillip Schofield was forced to stay at home with Covid.
Holly signed the deal having decided to return without Phillip, who quit TV after admitting to an “on-off relationship with a younger male colleague”.
A source told the she was “excited” to be coming back, adding: “After many discussions and a lot of thought, she thought that getting some normality into her life would be a good thing.”
She has kept a low profile since learning of an alleged plot to kidnap and murder her by ex-security guard Gavin Plumb in October.
Holly announced in the wake of the bombshell that she was quitting the daytime hit she had presented alongside Phillip since 2009.
Her last This Morning was alongside Josie Gibson – who at one point was tipped to take over from her on Dancing on Ice – on Wednesday 4 October.
In a statement announcing her departure at the time, she explained: “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. I will not be returning to This Morning.
“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.”
Dancing on Ice’s line-up was revealed earlier this year with stars including S Club’s Hannah Spearritt, boxer Ricky Hatton and Emmerdale‘s Roxy Shahidi.
Gogglebox’s Stephen Lustig-Webb was forced to pull out with injury and has been replaced by Olympic legend Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards.
