HOLLY Willoughby was pulled from her regular presenting duties on This Morning on Thursday due to a suspected plot to kidnap her.
Willoughby was noticeably absent from yesterday's This Morning show with Alison Hammond stepping in last minute to fill in for the 42-year-old presenter alongside Josie Gibson.
Police alerted This Morning bosses of the alleged kidnap plot early yesterday before Willoughby was due to go on air leaving the presenter “shocked and distraught” before it was decided she should pull out of the show, according to The Sun.
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Man arrested after plotting to kidnap Holly Willoughby
Willougby's home has been under police guard since Wednesday night due to a kidnap threat.
This comes after a 36-year-old man was arrested in a flat in Harlow, Essex on Wednesday after Police allegedly found “sinister messages” threatening to kidnap and “seriously harm” the This Morning presenter, The Sun reported.
The suspect, who is not known to the This Morning star, was last night in police custody.
It was unclear how police became aware of the alleged plot but it was understood digital devices and a mobile phone were seized.
Detectives continue to investigate the matter while a round-the-clock police guard will remain in place outside Willoughby’s London home, where she lives with her husband and three children.
A source, speaking to The Sun, said: “Investigations are continuing but police are treating this as a credible conspiracy to kidnap Holly.
“There were apparently some sinister and threatening messages found on electronic devices threatening to seriously harm her.”
A marked police car also remains outside the man's ground-floor flat, where he is said to live alone.
