Holly Willoughby Biography

Holly Marie Willoughby (born 10 February 1981) is an English television presenter and model, known for her work in presenting children's TV and entertainment shows. In her early career, she modelled underwear and went on to present network, which drew in an average of 8.9 million viewers in the 2010 series.

She later stepped down from the role in 2011 due to new commitments and was replaced by Christine Bleakley. In July 2009, she was selected as a replacement for Fern Britton on This Morning. She began presenting on This Morning on 14 September 2009, alongside Phillip Schofield. On 23 November 2011, it was announced that Willoughby would be co-hosting the BBC talent show The Voice UK with Reggie Yates.

Early life

The younger of two daughters of the manager of a double-glazing company and an air stewardess, Willoughby was educated at the independent Burgess Hill School for Girls in the town of Burgess Hill in West Sussex. She went on to attend The College of Richard Collyer in Horsham.

In 1995, at the age of 14, Willoughby was spotted by talent scouts at The Clothes Show Live exhibition. Storm Model Management signed her up. She appeared in teen magazines for girls such as Mizz, Just Seventeen and More!. From 1998, at the age of 17, she started modelling underwear for clients including Pretty Polly. She appeared in adverts and posters.

Media career

Children's TV

In 2000, Willoughby won an audition for a show on CITV featuring S Club 7 called S Club TV. In this show actors represented an alternative S Club. She also acted in a show called S Club 7: Artistic Differences. She played a character called Zoe alongside the regular members of the band. and after these shows, she worked as a receptionist for a while and then as a runner for the defunct shopping channel Auction World TV.

She also took on menial jobs and started an Open University course in psychotherapy. Then eventually she found work as assistant manager during which time she persuaded a friend to make a show reel of her. This show reel secured her an agent who then contacted the BBC. Later in 2000, she presented a factual entertainment programme for children called Xchange. She went on to host several other children's shows for CBBC: X-perimental, and CBBC at the Fame Academy (CBBC's version of the BBC-TV talent show Fame Academy).

Her breakthrough as a children's entertainer came when she re-joined CITV in 2004 to co-present their flagship entertainment show Ministry of Mayhem which was aired on Saturday mornings. It was on this programme that she met her future husband Dan Baldwin, one of the show's producers. In 2006, the show's title was changed to Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown in order to reflect the popularity of its co-presenters, Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern. During the final episode of the show (1 July 2006), Willoughby accidentally revealed one of her breasts during a particularly energetic routine. CITV received a small number of complaints, though the wider audience merely wrote the occurrence off as unfortunate. In 2005 Willoughby presented Feel the Fear, a children's entertainment programme in which the presenters are set unnerving challenges. She has also had a number of minor appearances on other children's programmes and programmes relating to children. She co-presented the final of the children's version of Stars in Their Eyes in 2004. The programmes listed below were broadcast on CITV in 2000

Mainstream TV

Willoughby presented , in 2006. In this show, celebrities from the UK are partnered with professional dancers to learn ice-dancing routines which are then judged by a panel of experts and voted on by the public. She stepped down from the role in 2011 due to new commitments. She was criticised for her choice of costume in January 2008.

She has presented a number of other ITV programmes, especially spin-off shows such as Celebrity Wrestling: Bring It On, Greased Lightnin and most recently, The Xtra Factor. She has also presented shows exploring celebrity gossip such as Lip Service and the comedy show Celebrity Juice. In 2007, she took over from Davina McCall as the presenter of Streetmate, a dating game show in the UK. She presented sections of The National Television Awards in 2007 and 2008.

She co-presents Holly & Fearne Go Dating alongside Fearne Cotton. In this show the two hosts, who are also best friends, attempt to find dates for single people that they meet in the UK. She has also presented Here Come the Boys, a show celebrating the achievements of popular UK male singers of the past 50 years.

Willoughby has co-presented ITV's morning show This Morning with Phillip Schofield since September 2009 after she took over the role from Fern Britton.

On 23 November 2011, it was announced that she would present The Voice UK in 2012, along with BBC Radio presenter Reggie Yates.

On 30 March 2012 she won celebrity cleavage of the year in a competition sponsored by Wonderbra.

In November 2012 Willoughby was a guest at Rod Stewart's Christmas performance where she interviewed him and other celebrity performers in Stirling Castle which was aired in mid December on ITV.

Awards

In 2006, Willoughby won a BAFTA in recognition of her abilities as a children"s TV presenter.

She has also appeared in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women poll every year since 2005, ranking at #51 in 2010, #74 in 2009 and #100 in 2008.

On 30 March 2012, on the National Cleavage Day, Holly Willoughby was awarded the title "Best Celebrity Cleavage", based on a poll of 1000 women who chose her as the first celebrity to get into the Wonderbra Cleavage Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Holly Willoughby is dyslexic. Her sister, Kelly, also works in the television industry.

On 4 August 2007 she married Dan Baldwin, a producer on Ministry of Mayhem. Her son, Harry James Baldwin, was born in May 2009. Her daughter, Belle Baldwin, was born in April 2011.

In June 2012, Willoughby posted a photo of herself on Twitter without makeup, and caused controversy when it was slated by journalist Liz Jones as a "betrayal to women." This Morning co-presenter Phillip Schofield defended Willoughby, saying "I swear there can be no greater force against all womankind than Liz Jones. She is inconsistent, bitter, nasty and unhinged."

She is patron of charity Together For Short Lives.

Filmography

Guest appearances

• Panel Member Never Mind the Buzzcocks (31 October 2005), (5 December 2011)
• Contestant Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (29 September 2007)
• Contestant All Star Family Fortunes (3 November 2007)
• Guest presenter This Morning (5 December 2008)
• Contestant All Star Mr and Mrs (2 January 2010)
• Goody Carne Agatha Christie's Marple The Pale Horse (30 August 2010)
• Contestant Chris Moyles' Quiz Night (29 November 2010)
• Guest Britain Unzipped (24 April 2012)

Bibliography

Willoughby and Fearne Cotton have written an advice book entitled The Best Friends' Guide to Life published in October 2010

Year	Programme	Role
2000	S Club TV	Presenter
2000	S Club 7: Artistic Differences	Presenter
2000"2004	Xchange	Contestant
2002"2003	CBBC at the Fame Academy	Presenter
2003	X-perimental	Presenter
2004"2006	Ministry of Mayhem aka Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown	Presenter
2004	Stars in Their Eyes Kids	Presenter
2005	Feel the Fear	Contestant
2005	'	Presenter
2005	Celebrity Wrestling: Bring It On	Contestant
2006"2011	Dancing On Ice	Presenter
2006	Lip Service	Presenter
2006	Tricky TV	Presenter
2006	Showbiz Darts	Contestant
2007	The Westlife Show: Live	Presenter
2007	Greased Lightnin	Presenter
2007	Streetmate	Presenter
2007	Holly & Fearne Go Dating	Presenter
2008"2009	The Xtra Factor	Presenter
2008"	Celebrity Juice	Team Captain
2007"2008	The National Television Awards	Presenter
2009"	This Morning	Presenter
2009	Cheryl Cole's Night In	Presenter
2010	James Corden's World Cup Live	Presenter
2010	Magic Numbers	Guest
2010	Agatha Christie's Marple
2011"	Text Santa	Presenter
2012"	The Voice UK	Presenter
2012"	Surprise Surprise	Presenter
2012	Keith Lemon: The Film	Herself
2012	Rod Stewart Christmas Special	Herself