After more than a decade as a team captain on the television staple “Celebrity Juice,” host Holly Willoughby will now be leaving the program to have more time for her family.
RTE reports that Willoughby’s exit from the show was rumored for quite some time now, but an Instagram post that the 39-year-old posted over the weekend confirmed the speculations. In the post, she thanked the show for “12 years of fantastic chaos” and described the show’s audience as “the loudest and best.”
Willoughby was part of the show’s original lineup when it debuted in 2008, together with host Keith Lemon and fellow team captain Fearne Cotton. Cotton left the show in 2018 and was replaced by Paddy McGuinness. McGuinness left after one season and was replaced by Mel B. of the Spice Girls. Willoughby is expected to leave the show after the airing of the current season, with actress Michelle Keegan’s name being thrown around as a possible replacement.
According to Willoughby’s Instagram post, she will show up as a guest every once in a while to make sure someone is keeping Lemon “in check.” She also assures her colleagues that they will be always in her heart once she fully departs from the show.
According to the MailOnline, her departure is something that programming directors on ITV2 are worried about as it is yet another part of the program departing. Dan Baldwin, who is co-creator of “Celebrity Juice” and also Willoughby’s husband, stopped producing the show earlier. Lemon has also previously declared that it would be over for the show one Willoughby departs.
The tabloid also says a source told them that Willoughby wants to spend more time with her family and “Celebrity Juice” takes up the time she could be spending with her family. Aside from “Celebrity Juice,” Willoughby has also been hosting “This Morning” with Phillip Schofield since 2009.
When it first began in 2008, “Celebrity Juice” was intended to see how much the panelists knew of the tabloid stories of the week. Over the years, the show has evolved to focus on comedic situations involving the guests and the games that they play on the show.
Aside from “This Morning” and “Celebrity Juice,” Willoughby also has hosting duties on “Dancing on Ice.” Other shows that she has hosted or been a part of include “The Voice UK,” “Play to the Whistle,” “The Xtra Factor,” “Surprise Surprise” and “I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!”