Holly Willoughby has spoken out about her hopes to “move on” from what’s been a “difficult year” for This Morning, ahead of the show’s first NTAs loss in over a decade.
Around a year ago, This Morning’s troubles first began when the show was accused of making light of the cost of living crisis, after a “dystopian” game of chance that offered paying players’ energy bills as a prize.
Shortly after this, Holly and then-colleague Phillip Schofield found themselves at the centre of controversy once again due to the so-called “Queuegate” scandal.
Earlier this year, the two were back in the headlines once again after it was reported they’d fallen out behind the scenes, with Phillip abruptly stepping down from This Morning shortly afterwards.
A week later, he then resigned from ITV altogether after admitting to having lied to producers about an affair with a younger colleague on the show.
On Tuesday night, This Morning’s NTAs winning streak came to an end, with Holly reflecting on her turbulent year before the ceremony.
“If I am really honest, it has been up and down,” she told The Sun.
“It has been a difficult year for everybody but what’s lovely is you find that people rally around you and the goodwill is there.”
She added: “People want things to move on. It feels different.”
While The Repair Shop triumphed in the Daytime TV category during Tuesday’s NTAs, multiple outlets have reported there was booing in the arena when This Morning’s name was called during the nominations.
Following Phillip’s resignation in May, Holly took an extended half-term break, and began her first show back with a divisive address to viewers about her hopes to move This Morning into a new era.
“I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal, for the health and wellbeing of everyone,” she said in June.
“I hope that as we start this new chapter, and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.
“And from my heart, thank you for all your kind messages, and thank you for being here this morning. Every single person that works on this show will continue to work hard every single day to bring you the show that we love.”
Holly returned to This Morning after her summer holidays earlier this week, and is now co-hosting the show with a rotating roster of the show’s existing presenters, including Alison Hammond, Dermot O’Leary and Craig Doyle.