Holly Willoughby keeps a low profile as she’s seen for the first time since quitting ITV show
HOLLY Willoughby kept a low profile as she was seen for the first time since quitting an ITV show.
As ailing skating show Dancing On Ice ended on Sunday, with little hope of a return, presenter Holly also confirmed she was not coming back to host You Bet! for the channel.
With her time on ITV’s This Morning now a distant memory, Holly is poised to start a new chapter in her career, featuring lucrative deals with the streamers — including a second series of her Netflix reality competition Celebrity Bear Hunt.
And after the news of her You Bet! Departure was announced, she’s now been spotted going about her day in a casual look in London.
Mum-of-three Holly was out running errands and popped her blonde locks up into a ponytail.
The 44-year-old donned a brown coat and sunglasses as she stepped out in the capital, carrying a Chanel handbag.
Holly could be seen climbing into her black Mini after popping into a shop, with jeans, a top and trainers on beneath her coat.
Stephen Mulhern will present solo when the revamped series of You Bet! returns later this year.
ITV confirmed You Bet! will be back with new episodes following the successful relaunch last year.
An ITV spokesman told TV Zone: “Unfortunately Holly couldn’t commit to the dates to host the new series of You Bet!, but will hopefully appear as a guest panellist on one of the shows in the new series.”
The iconic 80s gameshow saw competitors take on strange challenges as a panel of celebrity guests gambled on their success.
Rob Beckett, Alison Hammond, Harry Redknapp and Rosie Ramsey made up the star gamblers as contestants vied for a £10,000 prize.
Challenges included one couple identifying different types of cactus just by licking them.
Another challenge was identifying different board games by the sounds they make when they are emptied from their boxes.
The likes of Bruce Forsyth, Matthew Kelly and Darren Day previously fronted the show on their own.
You Bet! was a homecoming for Holly as she returned to ITV with her first new format since she left This Morning.
It was hoped the show would cement her partnership with Dancing on Ice co-star Stephen Mulhern as the new golden hosting couple of the most popular commercial broadcaster.
It comes as it was revealed by The Sun that Holly’s new chapter could involve the option of taking on key projects with the BBC, including a potential reboot of Cilla Black’s best-known show, Blind Date.
The dating programme has already been mooted by Holly’s husband, producer Dan Baldwin, as a potential big-budget revival.
A TV insider said: “There might not sound like obvious parallels between Holly and Cilla, but they’re both two of the biggest stars of modern telly.
“It’s not pure coincidence either that when ITV decided to reboot Surprise, Surprise — another show made famous by Cilla — it was girl-next-door Holly they turned to.
“So the prospect of her fronting a reboot of Blind Date is a very real one, and a pairing that many viewers could see as a natural fit.
“Emulating Cilla isn’t just about taking on her shows, it’s as much about carving out a niche as a solo presenter with serious clout in the world of telly.
“But together with her husband Dan, they form the ultimate power couple in TV. She has the public appeal that gets viewers tuning in, while he has a track record of making hugely successful TV shows.”