Holly Willoughby is thought to be hesitant about her future professional move a month after surprisingly leaving This Morning.
The ITV presenter, 42, announced her decision in an Instagram post on October 10, describing it as a “difficult goodbye.”
Her retirement follows a tumultuous year in which her long-time co-host Phillip Schofield, 61, resigned from the ITV breakfast show in May after confessing to lying about a ‘unwise but not criminal’ romance with a much younger colleague.
Then, only a week before Holly’s resignation, a guy was detained on suspicion of attempting to abduct and murder her.
In January, she will return to present ITV’s Sunday night show Dancing on Ice, which she previously co-hosted alongside Schofield.
While there have been allegations that the BBC is seeking to recruit her for their next relaunch of Gladiators, close pals say she has yet to make a professional choice.
‘She just doesn’t know what to do,’ a source told the Daily Mail.
According to the newspaper, ITV executives are allowing her’space and time’ to determine what she wants to do next, although pals have speculated that she may not return for some time.
Her team said in the summer that she will be returning to TV this year, either solo or with a new male co-host, with Catch anchor Stephen Mulhern one of the frontrunners.
But, after learning of the alleged kidnapping plan last month, she announced her departure from This Morning, claiming she was doing it ‘for myself and my family’ – her TV producer husband Dan Baldwin and their three children Harry, 14, Belle, 12, and Chester, nine.
One of her friends said Holly’s life ‘could not be more different to how it was a year ago and it has taken some adjustment.’
‘There was a time when she was dashing around as a busy mum of three, but now she has got much more time to spend with her family and having some time away from the cameras,’ they said.
‘She is much more of a homebody at the moment and who knows when that will change?’
Holly hasn’t been seen in public since Gavin Plumb’s arrest at the beginning of last month.
The shopping mall security officer, 36, was remanded in jail last week after pleading not guilty to the alleged scheme.
He is accused with encouraging a guy to commit murder and inciting Willoughby’s kidnapping.
His trial date has been set for June 24 of next year, after confirmation of his name and not guilty pleas during the hearing.
This Morning airs weekdays from 9am on ITV1.
