Dancing On Ice fans say Holly Willoughby is 'thriving' after major change

15 January 2024 , 16:01

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Dancing On Ice viewers hailed Holly Willoughby's 'fun' return to TV (Image: Kieron McCarron/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Dancing On Ice viewers quickly pointed out a "change" in Holly Willoughby as she made her first television appearance since quitting This Morning in October.

The mother-of-three stood down from the popular ITV daytime after a plot to kidnap and murder her was foiled by police. Question marks over her future as host of the ice-skating competition remained until December 27, when ITV bosses finally confirmed she'd be back to front the programme alongside Stephen Mulhern.

Holly, 42, had presented the majority of the show's 15 previous series with her former best pal, Phillip Schofield since 2006. Still, he stepped away from the public eye in May after admitting to having an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a younger male This Morning runner. Holly was said to be "nervous, but excited" about the prospect of her comeback, which ultimately appeared to go as smoothly as she could have hoped.

Fans loved Holly and Stephen's on-screen chemistry (Kieron McCarron/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Holly previously presented alongside Phillip Schofield (Mike Marsland/WireImage)

As the show aired, fans haven taken to X (formerly Twitter) to hail Holly's "fun" persona and praised her chemistry with Stephen - with whom she previously worked on the kids' show Ministry of Mayhem in 2004. One user gushed: "Stephen and Holly have been amazing. Injected some real fun, weekend light entertainment vibes back into the show."

Another agreed: "Holly is thriving without Pip Schofield. I feel like she’s able to have fun with Stephen and they just work together. She’s also given an opportunity to speak rather than being spoken over constantly like he used to do." A third added: "Brilliant seeing Holly back on TV last night. She and Stephen work so well together."

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A fourth commented: "For the first time in years I’ve actually enjoyed #DancingOnIce! Stephen and Holly work well together and some of the skaters have real potential." And a fifth declared: "So lovely to see Holly back on the box. Your beautiful face has been missed. Welcome back. What a great job from Stephen Mulhern. Such a brilliant replacement."

Alan Johnson