A man accused of conspiring to kidnap and murder Holly Willoughby had contacted a hitman in the United States and had weapons at his house, a court heard today.
Gavin Plumb, 36, of Harlow, Essex, was arrested on Wednesday and accused with soliciting murder and inciting the kidnapping of the 42-year-old This Morning host.
While Holly’s home is allegedly under police surveillance, the father-of-one appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court today.
According to his LinkedIn, Plumb worked as a kitchen assistant at Pizza Hut between 2011 and 2012.
Plumb only spoke in court today to prove his identity. He was reprimanded in detention and is scheduled to appear before the city’s crown court on November 3.
The suspect is unknown to Holly, according to reports, and ITV executives were notified to the suspected plot on Thursday morning, leaving Josie Gibson and Alison Hammond to co-host This Morning when Holly dropped out just before her scheduled appearance.
Dermot O’Leary sent a message of support to Holly on the ITV show today alongside Alison, as they said: ‘We were obviously all shocked to hear the news and we want to send our love and biggest hugs to Holly and her family.’
Meanwhile, even Rishi Sunak voiced his concern over the alleged plot, as he appeared on This Morning today and said: ‘Before we get going, I was going to say, I’m so sorry to hear about everything that’s going on with Holly.’
‘I just wanted to send my best to her and her family, and to all of you.’
MailOnline reports that Plump was unable to work because he couldn’t get out of his flat, which he revealed in a BBC feature on weight loss in 2018.
Plumb was alleged to have written a journal for the BBC after weighing 35 stone in the segment.
According to the magazine, he consumed an average of 36 pints of Coca-Cola each week and was unable to leave his house for at least four years prior to 2018, only leaving to go to the community dumpsters.
He is also reported to have said: ‘My weight has always fluctuated. At my heaviest, I was 35 and a half stone. When the weight started to pile on, that was when my mental health really went down.
‘It’s a vicious circle. When I’m depressed, I eat – and when I eat, I’m depressed. For a long time, I found it difficult walking around. But getting to the point of not being able to go out, that really crept up on me.
‘I hate sitting indoors. I hate looking at the same four walls 24/7. I hate being the size I am.
‘I’m pretty much in pain everywhere. I get chest pains and I’ve just been told it’s because of my weight. I’m scared that if I have something to eat or if I get up and I do too much, that’s it, I’m done.’