Holly Willoughby’s friends have opened up about her terrible year: “There were some absolutely devastating times.”
This time last year, the rumour mill was operating at an all-time high regarding Holly and her former This Morning co-host Philip Schofield.
After 13 years as the UK’s TV golden couple, their brilliant run came to an end after Philip confessed he’d had an affair with a young male colleague at ITV.
Philip’s scandalous revelation was followed by his resignation from the popular TV network.
Holly found out later on that her co-host had told only the bosses at ITV that he took his extended break because of his brother Timothy’s trial for sexually abusing a teenage boy.
Sources at the network at the time revealed that only a small number of senior staff were made aware of the impending court case – but Holly was not.
Philip’s decision to keep his brother’s trial a secret is said to have been the last straw for their 17-year friendship.
In the end, it all became too much for Holly and she quit This Morning, hid from the public and was rarely seen in public.
However, this week marked the start of the beginning as Holly celebrated her new gig- a new Netflix reality show with survival expert Bear Grylls.
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As the only host on the show, she will follow celebrity contestants as they compete against the outdoor survival expert in South America.
Holly is said to be “thrilled and excited” about her new job and a friend of the star told the Daily Mail: “It is so wonderful to see Holly have a whole new start.”
“She has had a terrible year but what a way to end it. They say a year is a long time in showbusiness, and at times it has felt like a lifetime with everything that has happened in the last 12 months.”
“It has been hard. There were some absolutely devastating times, there were tears and there were moments when it felt impossible for Holly to smile but the girls managed to cheer her up. Holly has her family but sometimes you just need your mates,” the source concluded.
