I'm in the controversial Holly Willoughby Plot to Kill doc and there's even more to this story that you didn't see on TV
I VIVIDLY remember the moment Holly Willoughby sensationally resigned from This Morning with a carefully written statement as details emerged of a mysterious and spine-chilling kidnap plot.
Within moments my phone rang as
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Channel 5 aired a documentary on the plot to kidnap and murder Holly Willoughby
Credit: PA
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Josh Rom is featured on the true crime Channel 5 programme
Credit: Channel 5
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Gavin Plumb's plot was foiled after a series of disastrous events
Credit: Channel 5
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The Channel 5 documentary suggested his plot was always doomed to fail
Credit: PA
Having
Although she would be the consummate professional with a sharp focus on the programme,
But this day, it was different.
I could tell that even an experienced broadcaster like Vanessa - toughened by decades of navigating the shark infested waters of showbiz - felt completely shaken by the emerging story that Holly had been at the centre of a foiled murder plot.
READ MORE ON HOLLY
Visibly harrowed, I asked her if Holly was okay and, knowing the sensitivity around the subject, I told her that she didn't have to give me an answer.
With a solemn expression, she simply shook her head. There was a distinctly human element to the story that did not sink in until that moment. And that's all that was needed.
As a showbiz reporter working on the circuit for the last decade,
A volcano of chaos
That's why I appeared in the Channel 5 documentary telling the story of the chilling plot to kidnap and murder Holly.
Most read in News TV
The 90-minute docuseries titled The Plot to Kill Holly Willoughy
This included the revelations about
Holly Willoughby finally smiling again after 'living in absolute fear' following kidnap plot
But it only touched upon the fact that Plumb's arrest marked the eruption of a
I worked with Eamonn Holmes at a TV station in Paddington in 2022.
Here, he briefly mentioned to me about some of the more troublesome things happening at ITV.
But I also saw a lot of it with my own eyes.
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I have covered the scandals surrounding This Morning at length
Credit: Channel 5
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Gavin Plumb's sick and twisted videos were chilling to watch
Credit: PA
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His kidnap kit contained disgusting materials after years of obsessive sexual delusions
Credit: PA
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Plumb was housebound and could only walk short distances
Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk
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He was given three life sentences after police discovered his twisted sexual fantasy
Credit: PA
Around 2018, when I was working as TalkRadio's Entertainment Correspondent, I came across a number
One of them was a
Visit our Holly Willoughby page for the latest updates
This young man would turn out to be at
When he spoke, he was keen to emphasise just how delightful Holly Willoughby was to work with, painting her as an insanely confident host who radiated constant sunshine and who helped him with his presenting showreel.
He emphasised that this was someone who just loved what she did.
Many people in the industry had plenty to say about Phillip and Holly and
But for many years, what was so apparent to all of us was just how much Holly and Phil loved working with each other, how much they enjoyed the show, and how passionate they both were about making their edition of This Morning the best in the show's long history.
We all remember them
But the blue skies of the iconic This Morning River Thames background could not quite hide the dark clouds that began to envelop as the hurricane slowly started to build.
I was previously told Phillip took issue with the way he was presented
On the page, he looked slightly disconcerted as Holly beamed with a crown that was drawn on her head.
The headline read 'Queen Holly. How Holly Willoughby eclipsed Phillip Schofield and became Britain's hottest TV star'.
Then came the reported behind-the-scenes rows over
Holly wanted to front the show with an all-female presenting team. But Phillip went over her head to bosses in protestation
Then there was the
It can be said that the public never quite looked at them in the same way and
Then came the high-profile fallout over lingering questions around
By this point of
Visit our This Morning page for the latest updates
After making that infamous
A somewhat ironic choice given this was the country where she and Phil used to spend years of summers together.
Although ITV wanted to prove the show was bigger than just one star, the ghost of the scandals and Phillip's career loomed large over the set.
Producers struggled to recreate that 'magic' that Holly mentioned
Of course, this was shown at the
She told me: "I think at the moment, what the
future
holds I don't think any of us yet know … But I think it's like taking it one day as it comes."
I was later told by a number of sources that she was actually advised not to talk to any reporters that night, yet here she seemingly wanted to prove her show would continue, emitting
Despite
There was once a time where barely a day went by where Holly didn't appear somewhere on the telly.
As the Channel 5 documentary showed in gruesome detail,
His videos showing off the murder kit made up of rope, handcuffs, shackles, a ball gag,
What the future holds I don't think any of us yet know … But I think it's like taking it one day as it comes."
Holly Willoughby
Speaking to me at the 2023 NTAs
The fact he built up a sexual obsession over multiple years, using degrading deep fake material
When we filmed the documentary, the director
This documentary showed that being a
celebrity
may come with privileges, but fame brings vulnerabilities and in this case, a life-threatening danger.
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Holly returned to work on Dancing On Ice but it is clear the impact of the case will have deeply affected her
Credit: WIREIMAGE
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At the time of 'Queuegate,' Holly was blamed far more for the scandal
Credit: Channel 5
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Her huge fallout with Phillip Schofield may have played a huge part in her decision to ultimately quit the show
Credit: Rex
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A grim-faced Holly reacting to the news of her long-time co-host's departure
Credit: ITV
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ITV couldn't recreate the 'magic' that Holly mentioned on screen
Credit: ITV
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The TV star has been seen far more sparingly on-screen since her This Morning departure
Credit: Getty
You can stream The Plot To Kill Holly Willoughby back on 5.
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