Holly Willoughby's media company gets another 12 weeks to pay £377,000 tax bill or face being wound up
Roxy Media, the media production and management firm run by the TV presenter and her husband Dan Baldwin, was issued with a winding-up order by His Majesty's Revenue & Customs earlier this year, according to court filings.
A hearing at the Insolvency and Companies Court in April heard that the firm owed £377,000 in tax, which had been reduced from an unknown amount.
The case was adjourned for 12 weeks to allow the debt to be paid.
Now Charlotte Cooke, for HMRC, has told a hearing on Wednesday that the company was seeking to take the case to a tax tribunal, with no details given over whether the debt had been paid partially or in full.
She said: 'I understand the company has submitted an application for a late appeal to be heard. Our position is that that is opposed.'
She continued: 'This has gone on long enough.'
Michael Collins, representing the business, confirmed it was taking the case to a tax tribunal, but no details were given in court as to what the challenge concerned.
Mr Collins continued that the company was waiting for a date for the tribunal appeal to be heard.
Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Sally Barber adjourned the case until August 20.
Willoughby set up the company with her husband to specialise in managing media clients.
Records on Companies House indicate that she was appointed as a director of the company in 2014, and Mr Baldwin in 2008.
The presenter is best known for previously fronting ITV daytime show This Morning and Dancing On Ice.
Ms Cooke, representing HMRC, told the High Court in London how Roxy Media had submitted an appeal but insisted it was too late and the firm should be wound up.
Mr Collins, speaking for the company, said the initial appeal was late owing to negligence of the company's former accountants.
He said: 'The new accountants have made a submission for late appeal and the tribunal will hear that in due course.
'We are seeking late appeal and have applied to the tribunal and that is now within the tribunal system for a hearing.'
Ms Cooke said: 'We say the decision to refuse the appeal was made by HMRC and seeking to do that now we say is out of time and we say this had been going on long enough.'
Judge Sally Barber directed the company to file evidence setting out the stage reached in the application for appeal ahead of the next court date of August 20.
Neither Willoughby nor Baldwin attended the hearing at the Rolls Building in central London.
A financial expert has previously suggested that the issue could have arisen from differing interpretations of Holly's tax status.
They said: 'It's possible her This Morning salary was paid into the company as freelance income, whereas the tax office may consider that she was employed by ITV and that the income should have been taxed on a PAYE basis'.
'You'd expect HMRC and Roxy Media to have been in dialogue, so it's possible that the tax office has issued the petition in a bid to hurry things up'.
According to its Companies House listing, Roxy Media deals with TV show 'production activities'.
The former This Morning host set up the company with her husband to specialise in managing media clients.
She recently paid tribute to another show she presented, Dancing On Ice, after the series was 'rested' with 'no current plans for another series' according to an ITV spokesman earlier this year.
Ms Willoughby began presenting the ice skating show in 2006, alongside Phillip Schofield, who resigned from ITV in 2023.
Away from her TV fame, Willoughby also runs her own wellness and lifestyle brand called Wylde Moon.
Her business empire is estimated to be worth £10million and she has also worked with brands including Marks & Spencer, Diet Coke and Oral B.
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