Holly Willoughby shocked fans this week when she announced her resignation from This Morning, the popular ITV daytime show she has co-hosted for the last 14 years.
Following news of a terrifying plot to kidnap and murder the famous mother-of-three, Holly took time off from the programme and subsequently stepped down from the role, explaining: “I now feel I have to make this decision for me and my family. I will miss you all so much.”
A 36-year-old man, Gavin Plumb, from Harlow, Essex was arrested after text messages were found in which he threatened to cause "serious harm" to the star. He was later charged in Chelmsford Magistrates Court and has been remanded into custody until a plea hearing on 3 November.
ITV gave Holly permission to stay off air for as long as she needed to recover from the ordeal, but the TV host and devoted mum has decided to put her family first.
© ShutterstockHolly has often spoken about how her loved ones are her priority over the years.
The Dancing on Ice host shares her son Harry, 14, daughter Belle, 12, and son Chester, eight, with her TV producer husband Dan Baldwin. The couple have always been determined to keep their children out of the public eye, and cover their faces on social media photos.
MORE: Piers Morgan reacts to Holly Willoughby quitting This Morning
© GettySpeaking about how much she adores motherhood, the presenter previously told HELLO!:
"All I ever wanted to do was to be a mum. It wasn't like when I was at school I thought, 'Oh, I'm going to be this big career girl'. Being a mummy is definitely my most favourite job of all, without a shadow of a doubt."
© Photo: InstagramWriting in a recent newsletter for her lifestyle brand Wylde Moon, Holly revealed how much she treasured the time she spent with her kids over the summer.
She said: "It really has been a case of blink and you'll miss it this summer – in every sense! I can feel myself clinging on with every fibre of my being as conversations about school start to drip feed back into our life."
She added how this year is an important one for her eldest child: "Harry begins the first year of his GCSEs this year and I sense that he feels like school has just got serious. When we were discussing his options, a big deciding factor was to select subjects he naturally has a keen interest in and enjoys.
"The days where my kids need me around the clock are long gone and whilst it’s a sad way of looking at things, recognising how truly precious and short this time is, has actually helped me to remain totally present."
In a previous interview with Red Magazine, Holly spoke about the ‘mum guilt’ she feels about being a working mum.
"That's the biggest challenge,” she explained. “I've been riddled with guilt about getting that part wrong. You love them so much and you don't want to mess them up.”
© InstagramHolly has also revealed how she "hated" missing Harry and Belle's first days of school due to filming commitments on This Morning: "I didn’t do the drop-off because I was working," she said. "I hate that I wasn't there because those memories you can't get back."
However, she told HELLO! that she loved her job, despite the clash with the early morning school run. She said: "If I’m going to get up and leave the kids in the morning then it has to be for something that I care about, or feel passionately about – and I’m lucky to be able to do that."
Now Holly is home with her children in the mornings, and we imagine that while she must miss This Morning terribly, she is making the most of the new time she has with her children. After the horrifying threats she received, she will want to keep her family close and protect them, as any parent would.
