2000–2005: Children's presenting In 2000, Willoughby won an audition for
S Club TV, a
CITV children's magazine programme based on the pop group
S Club 7. The show featured young actors, including Willoughby, who presented segments while portraying fictional counterparts to the band. She also appeared in a show called
S Club 7: Artistic Differences playing a character called Zoe with the regular members of the band. Willoughby later worked as a receptionist and then as a runner and assistant floor manager for the now-defunct shopping channel
Auction World.tv. Willoughby also took on menial jobs and started an
Open University course in psychotherapy. She later found work as an assistant manager, during which time she persuaded a friend to make a showreel of her. The showreel secured her an agent, who then contacted the
BBC. On this programme she met her future husband Dan Baldwin, one of the show's producers. In 2006, the show's title was changed to ''
Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown'' to reflect the popularity of its co-presenters, Willoughby and
Stephen Mulhern. In 2005, Willoughby presented
Feel the Fear, a children's entertainment programme in which the presenters are set unnerving challenges. She has also had a number of minor appearances on other children's programmes. Willoughby presented
CD:UK for a short while in the spring of 2005, replacing
Cat Deeley before
Myleene Klass,
Lauren Laverne and
Johny Pitts became the regular presenters. In recognition of work as a children's television presenter, Willoughby won a
BAFTA Children's Award in 2006.
2006–2008 '' in 2006 In 2006, she was selected to co-present, with
Phillip Schofield, the television show
Dancing on Ice, in which celebrities are partnered with professional dancers to learn ice-dancing routines which are judged by a panel of experts and voted on by audiences. She remained in the role until 2011, when she left due to new commitments. She was replaced by
Christine Lampard. Willoughby has presented a number of other
ITV programmes, including spin-off shows such as
Celebrity Wrestling: Bring It On in 2005, ''
Greased Lightnin' in 2007, and The Xtra Factor'' for two years in 2008 and 2009. In 2007, she took over from
Davina McCall as the presenter of
Streetmate, a dating game show during its transition from
Channel 4 to
ITV2. Willoughby hosted the show for its final series. In the same year, Willoughby co-presented
Holly & Fearne Go Dating with
Fearne Cotton. The show saw the two hosts attempt to find dates for single people that they meet around the UK. Since 2008, Willoughby appeared as a team captain on
Celebrity Juice, presenting series 1–11 and 13–23 (taking a break in series 12 due to maternity leave). She left the show after 12 years in May 2020.
2009–2023 Willoughby began co-presenting ITV's
This Morning with Schofield in September 2009 until his departure in May 2023, replacing
Fern Britton. Willoughby presented the programme from Monday to Thursday mornings until her departure in October 2023. She and Schofield developed a close friendship, with Schofield describing her as "the sister he never had". During Willoughby's tenure as co-presenter,
This Morning won the
National Television Award for Best Daytime Programme for twelve consecutive years from 2011 to 2022, the longest winning streak in the award's history, with Willoughby among those who regularly accepted the award on behalf of the programme. In 2011, Willoughby co-presented charity telethon
Text Santa with
Ant & Dec. She returned to co-host the show with Schofield in 2012, 2013 and 2015. On 24 March 2012, Willoughby began presenting
The Voice UK with
Reggie Yates. She decided to leave the show after the second series and was replaced by
Emma Willis in 2014. In 2012, Willoughby began hosting a revived version of
Surprise Surprise. A second series began airing on 15 September 2013, a third on 22 October 2014 and a fourth on 21 June 2015. In 2015, Willoughby presented the sports-based panel show
Play to the Whistle on
ITV. The first series aired for seven episodes beginning on 11 April 2015. A second series aired for six episodes, beginning in April 2016, and a third series aired in 2017. In 2016, Willoughby presented primetime Saturday night dating show
Meet the Parents for
ITV. The show has been compared with
Blind Date. In August 2018, it was announced that Willoughby would host the eighteenth series of ''
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' alongside
Declan Donnelly as his usual partner
Ant McPartlin took a year-long break. Willoughby has written a series of children's books with her sister Kelly. Their debut book ''School for Stars: First Term at L'Etoile'' became the UK's highest-selling children's book of 2013. In addition to her recognition from prestigious industry awards, Willoughby has received several magazine-based honours. In 2009 she was named Ultimate TV Presenter at the
Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women of the Year Awards. She later won the Presenter award at the
Glamour Women of the Year Awards in 2012 and again in 2016. In August 2017, it was reported Willoughby had received a £200,000 pay rise to match the salary of Schofield. She returned to present the new series of
Dancing on Ice with Schofield in January 2018. Willoughby is a brand ambassador for
Marks & Spencer and
Garnier, and a former ambassador for
Diet Coke in the UK. In September 2021, Willoughby founded a wellness and lifestyle brand and company called Wylde Moon. In 2018, Willoughby and Schofield made a cameo appearance on
Coronation Street, when they interviewed
Rosie Webster,
Craig Tinker and
Gemma Winter on
This Morning. On 10 October 2023, Willoughby announced her departure from
This Morning, after more than 14 years in the role. In 2025, Willoughby presented the
Netflix reality competition series
Celebrity Bear Hunt, starring
Bear Grylls.
The lying-in-state of Elizabeth II During the period of
national mourning following the death of Elizabeth II in September 2022, Willoughby and Phillip Schofield attended the Queen's
lying-in-state at
Westminster Hall in their capacity as accredited members of the press while filming a segment for
This Morning. ITV stated that they accessed the hall via the official media route and did not join the
public queue or file past the coffin. Their presence drew criticism on social media from some viewers, who mistakenly believed they had bypassed the queue for members of the public.
Response to Schofield affair Willoughby said in response to Schofield's departure from
This Morning: "It's been over 13 great years presenting
This Morning with Phil and I want to take this opportunity to thank him for all of his knowledge, his experience and his humour. The sofa won't feel the same without him." A broadcasting executive subsequently told
The Times that Willoughby had given ITV an ultimatum that either she or Schofield had to leave the programme. In a statement to the
Daily Mail on 26 May, Schofield admitted that, before leaving his wife in 2020, he had carried on an
extramarital affair with a younger male ITV co-worker. Willoughby, who had previously said she was hurt that Schofield had lied to her when she asked about the rumours, returned to
This Morning on 5 June for the first time since his departure. Stating that she felt "shaken, troubled and let down," she said that everyone at the programme had given "love and support to someone who was not telling the truth." She expressed concern for Schofield's mental health, thanked viewers for their kindness and support, and said "what unites us all now is a desire to heal." ==Personal life==