Looking sexier than ever, Ms Willoughby is making her biggest career move yet. And she admits it's all pretty scary...
Catch a load of Holly Willoughby. The normally butter-wouldn't-melt queen of daytime telly is seriously working the sexy black lace and rock chick red lip on the Fabulous shoot, and therefore looking rather more rebellious than usual. But she scoffs at any suggestion there's a secret wild side she's so far been keeping under wraps.
"I love having a glass of wine and a laugh with my friends. But I don't think I'm particularly wild. I like going to festivals but that doesn't mean I'm peeing up against a fence. You won't see me falling out of Chinawhite."She catches herself.
"Chinawhite?! Look at me showing my age there! No one goes to Chinawhite any more do they? These days it's all about Sugar Hut isn't it?"
OK, so she doesn't partake in public displays of partying. But wasn't Liam Gallagher a guest at her wedding? Surely that's evidence of a rock 'n' roll life away from TV?
"He's a mate. It doesn't mean I'm rock 'n' roll."
All right then, what about Celebrity Juice? The downright naughtiness of Keith Lemon's near-the-knuckle panel show has given Holly Willobooby, as she's affectionately known, the opportunity to be seen in a more risqué light.
Well, apparently not.
"I know there's this sweetness and light thing with me, but I think I'm exactly the same as usual on that show! It's not like I transform into a beer-swilling, knicker-flashing old tart."
Enough said.
Phillip Schofield was the first person I called when I got The Voice job
These are exciting times for 31-year-old Holly. Exciting and nerve-wracking in equal measure. Because she's given up a secure, cushy job on Dancing On Ice, one of ITV's highest-rating, most proven shows, to step into the unknown over on the other channel. Accepting the gig as host of the BBC's new prime-time Saturday-night talent search The Voice, which kicked off last night, was a risk, especially with the Beeb's previous dodgy forays into this genre (Fame Academy, anyone?).
Holly fully admits that quitting Dancing On Ice - a move which paved the way for Christine Bleakley to take over - is something of a gamble. She says: "You can hope and you can believe in something, but you can never be sure it's going to work. So yes there's pressure, but I think the format is strong.
"I worked on Fame Academy and it was different. It was a music talent show mixed with a bit of Big Brother and it had never been tried before. The Voice is brilliant. The American version is so amazing - it's tried and tested all over the world. But... you can never tell."
Onward and upward
For what it's worth, Holly, who presents alongside Reggie Yates, really doesn't need to worry. Early signs point towards the BBC having a bona fide mahoosive hit on their hands. Comparisons to the louder, brasher The X Factor are inevitable, but ultimately pointless says Holly, who fronted ITV2 spin-off show The Xtra Factor for two series. For a start, there are no tone-deaf, mentally questionable wannabes wheeled out for viewer's entertainment."You can't compare the standard of talent to The X Factor, you really can't. We don't have any restrictions on who can enter, so people who have had professional recording contracts in the past can audition, and that changes everything.
"The Voice is such a great twist on the traditional talent show because it's literally just about the voice. Which is really exactly what it should be."
Clockwise from left: Holly and "TV husband" Phillip Schofield; with new co-host on The Voice, Reggie Yates; with Dan and their two kids Since Holly will continue to host This Morning during the week, the personal significance of the move to the Beeb shouldn't be underestimated either. It's virtually unheard of for a TV presenter to be the face of two flagship shows simultaneously on rival channels, showing just how highly regarded Holly has become in a relatively short space of time. Plus, she's also just confirmed, she'll be hosting a special edition of Surprise Surprise! on ITV1 later this year. Well done that woman. Nevertheless, she admits that leaving Dancing On Ice and TV husband Phillip Schofield wasn't easy. "When I heard the BBC was doing The Voice, I remember thinking that whoever got that job would be really lucky. So obviously I was thrilled when I got the call. But it was such a difficult decision to leave a show I absolutely love. And especially leaving someone like Phillip Schofield.
"He was actually the first person I spoke to after I got the call. He was sad but so cool about it. He told me he was going to miss me lots but this was such a huge opportunity that I'd be a fool not to grab it. I'd been there for a good few years, and I feel you've got to keep moving and try new things. It was always going to take something really special to take me away from Dancing On Ice."
And of course, she still gets to spend four days a week with Phil on the This Morning sofa.
"Exactly!" she smiles. "I've just got a new TV bit on the side in Reggie."
Managing this successful career alongside being a mum to two young children is something Holly reckons she's pretty much nailed, with the help of her husband Dan Baldwin, 34. Her way-too-cute kiddies (Harry, who turns three in May, and Belle, 11 months) pop in to the studio during the shoot and it's rather lovely watching her instantly switch from business-like model professional to devoted, besotted Mummy.
"It's about finding a balance and I think we've got it most of the time," she says. "We have a nanny, and also get a lot of support from both our mums. Five weeks after I had Harry I was back at work on The Xtra Factor. But my mum came on the road with me and it was a flexible set-up, meaning I could record some links and then go off to breastfeed.
"I consider my work to be part-time. Most weeks I do four mornings, and whenever things start heading into the territory of being full-time I start reining it in. I also get a massive chunk of time off in the summer and I ring fence that and protect it with my life. Any job offers during that time are a complete no."
Holly didn't feel she was able to take extended maternity leave due to the fast-paced and fickle television industry.
"The thing about TV is that you can't just take three years off, because people move on quickly and you're forgotten about. I'm freelance, so I've got to keep my finger in the pie. But I only do what feels right."
Solid foundations
Holly and TV producer Dan will have been married five years this August. Having children has cemented what was already a rock-solid relationship."Being parents has brought us closer together and the dynamics between us are constantly developing. When we were boyfriend and girlfriend, getting engaged made things more intense. Then marriage did the same, and now having children together it's more intense than ever.
"We make time for each other, and that doesn't necessarily mean going out on a date. Some nights it can mean opening a bottle of wine and having a debrief about the day. Once we've put the kids to bed we're often exhausted, but we try not to have too many evenings where one of us is downstairs watching the football and the other is upstairs watching Midsomer Murders. Not that I'm saying that never happens... There are some days when that's exactly what happens!"
Holly and Dan are fiercely protective of the children's privacy - they sold their wedding snaps to a glossy mag, but have turned down every offer to pose with Harry and Belle.
"The wedding was in OK! and I'm fair game for that. But I've never put the children out there because they're not in a position to decide that for themselves. When they get older then they can make up their own minds."
Holly started out as a teenage model which included a stint advertising sanitary towels ("Oh yes, all the best jobs") before moving into TV presenting.
She says: "My friend was auditioning for kids' show S Club TV, so I went along and ended up auditioning too. I got the job, but it was a dreadful show. There were seven of us and none of us had any TV experience whatsoever.
"I've never really planned anything. I've always thought that as an ultimate goal one day it would be amazing to be a presenter, but there's never been a strategy. It's all been based on a lot of luck and people taking a punt on me."
Breaking the ice
After six years as a children's presenter, in 2006 Holly got her break with Dancing On Ice. Co-hosting that with Phillip made her the natural successor to Fern Britton on This Morning in September 2009, although some initially questioned whether she was able to make the transition to daytime."Dancing On Ice was definitely the turning point in my career. And then This Morning would never have happened without Phil's backing and belief in me. It's taken a long time. I'm 31 now and I've been doing this since I was 17."
I've never had a plan. It's all been down to a lot of luck
Holly thrives on live television - she can't wait for the live Voice shows to start in a few weeks - but it does mean not everything always goes to plan...
"The Anil Kapoor incident," she says in a flash when asked for her most embarrassing on-air mishap. It seems Holly came a cropper when introducing the Bollywood actor on This Morning.
"I just read the link really quickly and it came out as 'anal'. Anal Kapoor, that's what I actually said. There was nothing that I could do about it."
On another occasion, transsexual media personality Lauren Harries was booked to talk about transgender issues on This Morning.
"For whatever reason," says Holly, "she'd got it in her head that she was going to do a David Walliams impression. So after a very serious discussion, she said she had one more thing to say, and got up and did this bizarre impression." Seriously, look it up on YouTube.
"It's certainly never dull! The beauty of This Morning is it covers everything, and we never shy away from any subject. So people can have a chuckle about our live testicle examination, but it gets them talking, and hopefully goes some way to getting rid of any embarrassment."
The dream guest however, has so far eluded Holly.
"If Kate Middleton decided to do her first solo TV interview, I'd love to do it. I've got so much I want to talk to her about. Every little girl has dreams of being a princess, but hers came true."
Photo shoot over, Holly heads off to a meeting in town. And does so on the back of a motorbike, having shunned the offer of a car. See? Not quite the prim, proper girl next door after all.
- The Voice, Saturday, 7pm, BBC1.
Holly's hotspot
When were you happiest?My wedding. It was the best day of my life.
Who are your dream dinner party guests?
Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, William and Kate, Fearne Cotton, Phillip Schofield and my husband.
What trait do you most deplore in yourself?
I'm better now, but I used not to leave the house unless it was all perfect. Since I became a mum I'm messier.
What would your super power be?
Invisibility. I'd have a nosy in Buckingham Palace, pop to MI5 for a snoop then finish up in Harvey Nicks, where I'd walk out with entire clothes rails under my invisibility cloak.
What's your fave smell?
Basil. I find it really uplifting.
Your greatest achievement?
Giving birth. Twice.
What do you owe to your parents?
Everything.
