FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
LONDON – Earthquake in the world of British television: one of the most popular presenters, Holly Willoughby, has announced her retirement from the screen after a plot to kidnap and murder her was uncovered. Holly, 42, hosted ITV’s hugely popular morning show for 14 years, but yesterday she announced her retirement with an emotional statement on Instagram.
Last week, a supermarket security guard, 36-year-old Gavin Plumb, was charged with orchestrating a plot to kidnap and kill Holly, from which he had developed a real obsession: The man allegedly paid a murderer to handle the matter directly to let happen from the USA and attack the moderator. Plumb will appear in court next month.
As a precautionary measure, the ITV broadcaster had already decided to remove Holly from the video for a few weeks. But yesterday, after spending the weekend tearfully deliberating with her family, the presenter decided to take a dramatic step back. Her friends say Holly was “terrified” when the conspiracy against her was discovered: her life will never be the same and from now on she will be watched 24 hours a day.
“I have to make this decision for myself and my family,” wrote the presenter on the occasion of her departure: Holly has three children – aged 14, 12 and 9 – with her husband Dan Baldwin, a TV producer. She used to accompany her to school in the morning, which she will no longer be able to do now.
ITV executives were completely taken by surprise as they believed they had offered Holly every possible support: she had also just signed a new contract which further increased her salary, already to €800,000 a year. But This Morning show has already been rocked by controversy in recent months after co-host Phillip Schofield was booted out over an inappropriate relationship with a young male colleague. Holly was left quite sad about her co-host’s treatment and some suspect her departure was already in the air.
Whatever the case, Holly’s story raises questions about the relationship between celebrities and the public in the age of mass media: a delicate balance that is always in danger of breaking.