Holly Willoughby reveals the emotional reason why she never discusses her weight loss
The television presenter has now revealed why she refuses to talk about it
Author: Alex Carmichael Published 9th Apr 2019 Last updated 9th Apr 2019
Holly Willoughby is one of the most popular and in demand presenters on UK television right now. From appearing on Dancing on Ice, and stepping in for Ant McPartlin on last years' I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, to always making us giggle with bestie Phillip Schofield on This Morning, Holly is the star television presenter of the moment.
Loved by the nation, the 38-year-old presenter has changed a lot throughout her career, appearing significantly slimmer in recent years. However, she has always refused to talk about her weight loss...until now.
Speaking with The Sunday Times, Holly said “Yes, I very deliberately don’t talk about it." She explained this further by saying, “Just because I don’t think it’s helpful to the conversation, for women generally. As long as you are healthy and happy, that’s really all that matters.”
Swipe through to see Holly Willoughby's career highlights...
Holly Willoughby reveals the emotional reason why she never discusses her weight loss
Rumours were swirling for a while about who would replace Ant, but when push came to shove, Holly was the only person Dec (Donnelly) wanted by his side during his co-host's hiatus.
Initial reactions to Holly were mixed, but by the time Harry Redknapp was crowned King of the Jungle, the nation was in agreement that Holly – as usual – had smashed it.
Swipe through to see Holly Willoughby's career highlights...
2000: S Club TV
Back when Tina was doing her dance, and Jon was looking for romance, Holly was doing a pretty impressive job as a stand in member of S Club 7 for their TV movie S Club 7: Artistic Differences. In the children's comedy, the band split when artistic differences tore them apart (Paul heading off to start a rival band, Rachel leaving to get married) – but Holly helped keep the peace as a character named Zoe.
2004: Holly & Stephen’s Saturday Showdown AKA Ministry of Mayhem
Originally called Ministry of Mayhem, Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown was a mad cap CiTV game show that saw the show hosts camp it up as housemates that welcomed boys and girls teams in to their living room for an assortment of competitions.
It is also the setting where Holly met her future husband, Dan Baldwin (they tied the knot in 2007 and have three children), and gave co-host Stephen Mulhern a platform to show off his magic skills. Fancy!
2005: CD:UK
Now we're not saying Cat Deeley can be replaced... but Holly was a pretty great successor to the fellow 40-year-old TV host. Holly helped many a hungover adult get through Saturday morning's by presenting the children's music chart show.
2006: Dancing on Ice
A glimpse of what was to come – Holly was paired with hosting icon Philip Schofield on the ice skating dance show that saw celebrities compete on skates under the tutelage of Olympic legends Torvill and Dean. Holly and Phil's warm chemistry was a hit with fan – pulling in over 12 million viewers at the show's peak.
2008: Xtra Factor
After Fearne Cotton but before Konnie Huq, Holly hosted The X Factor spin off show the year that music fans were thrilled by the likes of Alexandra Burke, JLS and Diana Vickers. The star arguably co-hosted with her first son, Harry, as she was pregnant with him while the show aired in 2008 – with her first baby arriving in May the following year. She returned to host again for series six – which was when Joe McElderry won.
2009: Celebrity Juice
The mad cap mayhem of presenting children's television shows was probably a good training ground for Holly to deal with the juvenile antics of Keith Lemon (aka Avid Merrion). Holly serves as a team captain on the bonkers late night game show with best friend Fearne Cotton championing her opposing team. The trio were a hit with viewers, until Fearne announced her departure from the show in December 2018.
"I'm going to miss you being on the other side of my banana... thank you for 10 years of laughter... love you @fearnecotton ... we are going to MISS you on @celebjuiceofficial SOOO much 😥 xxxx," said Holly.
2009: This Morning
As well as delighting late night viewers, 2009 saw Holly enter the weekday TV format as she started hosting This Morning with Philip Schofield after the departure of Fern Britton. Fans of the pair have seen their friendship blossom on-screen as they still present together to this day – and have helped the magazine entertainment show scoop NTA, TRIC, TV Choice, and Freesat Awards along the way.
Holly and Reggie Yates were the face of The Voice when it first launched in the UK on the BBC back in 2012. The duo held the show together for the first two years and worked alongside show coaches Sir Tom Jones, will.i.am, Jessie J and Danny O'Donoghue as they found champions Leanne Mitchell in 2012 and Andrea Begley in 2013.
2012: Surprise Surprise
When the long-running show was resurrected in 2012, Holly seemed like the natural choice to fill the shoes of Cilla Black. With her approachable demeanour and warm personality, Holly shone as she fronts the light entertainment show as members of the public have dreams made true.
2016: Meet the Parents
Proving herself as one of the hardest working women in showbiz, Holly doesn't slow down when the weekend arrives despite hosting This Morning four days per week. The hostess has most recently been helping singletons find love on the ITV dating show that sees parents vet prospective dates for their children.
2018: Coronation Street
In 2018, Holly had a cameo in beloved ITV soap Coronation Street, along with her co-host Phillip Schofield. The pair interviewed the characters of Rosie Webster, Craig Tinker and Gemma Winter as part of Rosie's exit storyline.
2018: Dancing on Ice (returns)
Back by popular demand, Phil and Holly were back in their gladrags to host the new series of Dancing on Ice in 2018, after the show's four year hiatus from our screens (Holly left in 2011, and was replaced by her friend Christine Bleakely).
"What is really nice is I have found a new appreciation for this kind of show (which I love) since having the kids. It is exactly the type of show we sit and watch as a family," said Holly after announcing her return.
"We love Strictly, The X Factor and we love sitting there watching those big family event TV moments. It is nice my children are now old enough to come and watch and enjoy DOI!"
Rumours were swirling for a while about who would replace Ant, but when push came to shove, Holly was the only person Dec (Donnelly) wanted by his side during his co-host's hiatus.
Initial reactions to Holly were mixed, but by the time Harry Redknapp was crowned King of the Jungle, the nation was in agreement that Holly – as usual – had smashed it.
Swipe through to see Holly Willoughby's career highlights...
2000: S Club TV
Back when Tina was doing her dance, and Jon was looking for romance, Holly was doing a pretty impressive job as a stand in member of S Club 7 for their TV movie S Club 7: Artistic Differences. In the children's comedy, the band split when artistic differences tore them apart (Paul heading off to start a rival band, Rachel leaving to get married) – but Holly helped keep the peace as a character named Zoe.
2004: Holly & Stephen’s Saturday Showdown AKA Ministry of Mayhem
Originally called Ministry of Mayhem, Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown was a mad cap CiTV game show that saw the show hosts camp it up as housemates that welcomed boys and girls teams in to their living room for an assortment of competitions.
It is also the setting where Holly met her future husband, Dan Baldwin (they tied the knot in 2007 and have three children), and gave co-host Stephen Mulhern a platform to show off his magic skills. Fancy!
2005: CD:UK
Now we're not saying Cat Deeley can be replaced... but Holly was a pretty great successor to the fellow 40-year-old TV host. Holly helped many a hungover adult get through Saturday morning's by presenting the children's music chart show.
2006: Dancing on Ice
A glimpse of what was to come – Holly was paired with hosting icon Philip Schofield on the ice skating dance show that saw celebrities compete on skates under the tutelage of Olympic legends Torvill and Dean. Holly and Phil's warm chemistry was a hit with fan – pulling in over 12 million viewers at the show's peak.
2008: Xtra Factor
After Fearne Cotton but before Konnie Huq, Holly hosted The X Factor spin off show the year that music fans were thrilled by the likes of Alexandra Burke, JLS and Diana Vickers. The star arguably co-hosted with her first son, Harry, as she was pregnant with him while the show aired in 2008 – with her first baby arriving in May the following year. She returned to host again for series six – which was when Joe McElderry won.
2009: Celebrity Juice
The mad cap mayhem of presenting children's television shows was probably a good training ground for Holly to deal with the juvenile antics of Keith Lemon (aka Avid Merrion). Holly serves as a team captain on the bonkers late night game show with best friend Fearne Cotton championing her opposing team. The trio were a hit with viewers, until Fearne announced her departure from the show in December 2018.
"I'm going to miss you being on the other side of my banana... thank you for 10 years of laughter... love you @fearnecotton ... we are going to MISS you on @celebjuiceofficial SOOO much 😥 xxxx," said Holly.
2009: This Morning
As well as delighting late night viewers, 2009 saw Holly enter the weekday TV format as she started hosting This Morning with Philip Schofield after the departure of Fern Britton. Fans of the pair have seen their friendship blossom on-screen as they still present together to this day – and have helped the magazine entertainment show scoop NTA, TRIC, TV Choice, and Freesat Awards along the way.
Holly and Reggie Yates were the face of The Voice when it first launched in the UK on the BBC back in 2012. The duo held the show together for the first two years and worked alongside show coaches Sir Tom Jones, will.i.am, Jessie J and Danny O'Donoghue as they found champions Leanne Mitchell in 2012 and Andrea Begley in 2013.
2012: Surprise Surprise
When the long-running show was resurrected in 2012, Holly seemed like the natural choice to fill the shoes of Cilla Black. With her approachable demeanour and warm personality, Holly shone as she fronts the light entertainment show as members of the public have dreams made true.
2016: Meet the Parents
Proving herself as one of the hardest working women in showbiz, Holly doesn't slow down when the weekend arrives despite hosting This Morning four days per week. The hostess has most recently been helping singletons find love on the ITV dating show that sees parents vet prospective dates for their children.
2018: Coronation Street
In 2018, Holly had a cameo in beloved ITV soap Coronation Street, along with her co-host Phillip Schofield. The pair interviewed the characters of Rosie Webster, Craig Tinker and Gemma Winter as part of Rosie's exit storyline.
2018: Dancing on Ice (returns)
Back by popular demand, Phil and Holly were back in their gladrags to host the new series of Dancing on Ice in 2018, after the show's four year hiatus from our screens (Holly left in 2011, and was replaced by her friend Christine Bleakely).
"What is really nice is I have found a new appreciation for this kind of show (which I love) since having the kids. It is exactly the type of show we sit and watch as a family," said Holly after announcing her return.
"We love Strictly, The X Factor and we love sitting there watching those big family event TV moments. It is nice my children are now old enough to come and watch and enjoy DOI!"
Rumours were swirling for a while about who would replace Ant, but when push came to shove, Holly was the only person Dec (Donnelly) wanted by his side during his co-host's hiatus.
Initial reactions to Holly were mixed, but by the time Harry Redknapp was crowned King of the Jungle, the nation was in agreement that Holly – as usual – had smashed it.
She said that it's very "personal" for her and thinks that "people get obsessive with it."
The mother-of-three explained that, "On this show This Morning I’ve sat across the sofa from mums and dads who’ve lost children to anorexia, or their children are currently going through it, and they sit there and say, ‘It doesn’t help that there’s such a fascination with weight at the moment.’"
2018 was a super successful year for Holly and she continues to be the nation's favourite by shutting down talk of her weight loss and saying, "It’s not helpful, and it’s not what’s important." We couldn't agree with you more, Holly!
The presenter will be taking a short break from This Morning over Easter, alongside co-presenter Phillip Schofield. Their temporary replacements have been revealed as I'm A Celebrity... favourites Emily Atack and John Barrowman. We can't wait!
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