Holly Willoughby is exiting This Morning after 14 years.
The presenter has said she is leaving the show “for me and my family” in a statement shared on Instagram.
“To everyone who has ever worked on the show over the years, thank you so so much. This is such a difficult goodbye, you are incredible and I forever will be proud of what we’ve done together. Thank you to everyone at ITV for being supportive. To every guest who has sat on our sofa, thank you,” Willoughby’s statement read.
Willoughby continued to say it was an “honor” to be a part of the show and she will “miss you all so much.”
Willoughby’s permanent exit comes after she left the show on indefinite leave following a police investigation that foiled a 36-year-old man’s plan to kidnap the presenter. The man was arrested and charged with soliciting to commit murder.
Multiple media outlets reported that the 36-year-old was not known to Willoughby. It is still unclear how police became aware of the alleged kidnap plot, but The Sun newspaper first reported that a mobile phone and other digital devices were seized during the arrest. The Sun’s report states that police alerted This Morning producers to the plot early Thursday morning, and Willoughby was informed “shortly” before she was due on air.
In a statement at the time, detective superintendent Rob Kirby said: “This was an extremely fast-paced investigation, with many of our officers and national partners working overnight to secure these charges. The safeguarding of any victim is paramount and we will continue to prioritize this and working with the Metropolitan Police Service as the investigation proceeds.”
The incident came after a turbulent few months for Willoughby, who has presented This Morning since 2009. She was engulfed in the scandal surrounding her former co-star Phillip Schofield, who admitted to an “unwise but not illegal” sexual relationship with a younger male employee. Schofield exited the show earlier this year.
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