The star, who recently returned to our screens after a horrific rape and kidnap plot, has found herself at a crisis point after admitting to driving without due care and attention via post
She was once the nation’s sweetheart and dubbed one of the most powerful women on TV, with telly bosses fighting tooth and nail to lock her in as the new face of hit shows. But now Holly Willoughby seems to be a shadow of her former self, having faced one crisis after another.
When Holly first demanded to part ways with her scandal-hit This Morning co-host Phillip Schofield in 2023, things looked hopeful. She was distancing herself from the nightmare Schofield found himself in – and the dreaded queue-jumping row – and found herself lapping up lucrative sponsorship deals, while juggling other TV work, her own beauty business Wylde Moon, and the production company she co-owns with her husband Dan Baldwin. Her business empire was estimated to be worth a cool £10 million, but fast forward two years later and her professional life has seemingly taken a downward turn.
The beloved TV star’s return to Dancing on Ice was short-lived, with the show axed from screens just a year after she made a comeback, and earlier this year she quit ITV’s game show You Bet! after just one series. Another one of her gigs, Celebrity Bear Hunt with Bear Grylls, was axed this year. Meanwhile, her lifestyle business Wydle, once predicted to make the star between six to £12 million, reportedly had just £1,885 in reserves last year.
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Her personal life has been no less complicated. Holly was the victim of a terrifying rape and kidnap plot last year, where former security guard Gavin Plumb crafted a detailed and sinister plot to target the star in her family home. Harrowingly, Plumb had also planned to attack Holly’s husband and their children. In October, the depraved stalker tried to appeal his sentence, likely causing fresh anguish for the TV star.
And now Holly has pleaded guilty to knocking a man off his scooter while driving her £25,000 Mini Cooper near her £3m London home. The victim was sent crashing to the ground when Holly turned right into a side street without indicating, and suffered a fracture to his neck and a broken toe, the court heard.
The victim, driving a Piaggio scooter, was overtaking her at the time at around 20mph. Mum-of-three Holly, who didn’t attend in court, was this week handed six points on her licence and fined £1,653. The presenter was also ordered to pay £130 in prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £661.
Aisling Byrnes, defending, said the TV host had suffered a ‘momentary lapse judgement’ during the incident in August, telling the court: “She has full remorse for this. This was not aggravated by excessive speed or anything with the weather conditions. However, this error is one which is completely out of character, she has an entirely clean driving record and is otherwise of exemplary character. She is extremely remorseful, she left her vehicle, she offered him her phone and water and she remained there until responders arrived.”
And now, as the car crash nightmare throws fresh light on the crisis-hit star, a PR expert has warned of key signs that Holly’s once-mesmerising TV magic is fading with fans. “Holly’s guilty plea for careless driving is without question a serious moment for her,” Maya Riaz, a PR to the stars, tells The Mirror. “Public sympathy naturally sits with the victim and that means Holly must tread carefully. This is not a story she can front out with a smile. It requires humility, accountability and a long period out of the spotlight to rebuild trust.”
With all eyes on who is set to replace Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly on Strictly, rumours quickly spread that Holly could be a key contender. But BBC bosses have remained painfully silent on the matter. Explaining Holly’s professional predicament, Maya adds: “For years Holly was seen as the nation’s sweetheart. Recently she has become a lightning rod for criticism.
“The Strictly rumours and the lack of primetime opportunities are signals that broadcasters are nervous about divisive figures, especially ones who have had a run of negative headlines. TV executives rarely say it out loud, but they all naturally ask the same question of whether a person is still worth the risk?”
And digging into the star’s business flop, the PR guru explains: “The Wylde Moon figures speak for themselves. It seems the audience has disengaged. It is less about the business model and more about Holly’s cooling influence as a lifestyle figure. When the public stops buying into your image, it shows up in your commercial ventures first.”
But where did it all go wrong for the star who once captivated millions of Brits across the country? “Holly’s turning point was the moment she moved from relatable to remote,” Maya warns. “The queue jump row, the fallout around This Morning and now this driving case have all chipped away at the girl next door image that made her so bankable. Familiarity used to be her superpower but today that is her biggest challenge.
