Holly’s new ACTING ROLE

This Morning host heads in new direction

She’s known for presenting on This Morning with co-host Phillip Schofield, but now Holly Willoughby is going it alone in a surprise move that sees her branching out into acting. Sharing a photo of herself on the set of her latest venture, Holly, 40, could hardly contain her excitement as she filmed for ITV series Midsomer Murders. She said, “Today is the day. Excitement levels off the chart.” And no wonder she was so excited as she’s a superfan of the show. When she was offered the cameo role, she said, “I’ve seen every single episode. You’re going to have to kill me off really quickly as I’m terrible at acting.” Holly also appeared as a guest judge on the first UK series of The Masked Dancer, alongside Davina Mccall, Oti Mabuse, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan, so she’s definitely dipping her toes into new waters.

This all comes amid rumours that she could be getting a pay rise at ITV, as bosses are so keen to keep her. She’s currently in a legal battle with her former management company YMU, who she walked away from last year, and they are still demanding an estimated 15 per cent of her future earnings. Now, bosses reportedly fear she’ll quit This Morning instead of paying out to YMU. A source said, “Holly’s YMU row sparked some serious worries at ITV, as they know how adamant she is that she shouldn’t have to pay them. They’re hoping the situation can be amicably resolved. But they have agreed a last-resort plan to up her salary if it was to reach crisis level, as they can’t afford to lose her.” With so many strings to her bow, no wonder ITV are sweating…