Holly Willoughby could soon be ditching ITV and moving to the BBC, according to reports. The BBC is understood to have made a move to hire the daytime TV queen for a number of new shows.
According to The Mirror, an executive at the national broadcaster has already contacted Willoughby in an effort to woo her into leaving ITV. The move comes after ITV was hit by ascandal surrounding her co-presenter Phillip Schofield's love life.
Schofield has admitted having an affair with a younger man, while he was still married to his ex-wife. The scandal has prompted an external investigation into safeguarding at ITV.
Although Willoughby usually works with ITV she did present Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof last year for the BBC. It is now thought the BBC has held high-level talks about projects they could offer her.
A source told The Mirror: “Holly has had a good relationship and an open dialogue with BBC bosses since she hosted Freeze the Fear. Ever since then they have been keen to sign her up for another project and have bent over backwards to offer her other opportunities.
“So the ongoing drama at ITV has played into their hands. The bosses have had conversations this week about what they could offer her going forward.
“And one executive reached out to her directly earlier in the week. Holly was still away on holiday at the time. But she really values her relationship with the BBC and the friendships she has built up there."
Willoughby and her husband Dan Baldwin, who works as a TV executive, have become close to Kalpna Patel-Knight, who became the BBC's head of entertainment commissioning last year. Patel-Knight offered Willoughby the chance to hose the BBC's revamped Survivor series earlier this year, but the presenter turned the role down.
The source added: “Kalpna, Dan and Holly have been very, very tight since they worked on Freeze the Fear together. They are talking to each other regularly.
“Kalpna has been keen to work with Holly again ever since and offered her Survivor. She was desperate to sign her up for that. But Holly couldn’t make it work alongside her filming schedule for This Morning. Ever since then, Kalpna has been keen to find another format for her and the recent developments at ITV may well open the door for that.
“If somehow This Morning does survive, losing Holly would be an absolute hammer blow.”
