Holly Willoughby has been left without an ITV primetime show for the first time in 21 years after turning down a major job with the broadcaster.
The presenter, 44, was ITV’s Golden Girl for many years and carved out her place as the fan favourite face of its top shows including This Morning and Dancing On Ice.
However, Holly now appears to be taking her TV career in a new direction as she is now without an ITV show following Dancing On Ice’s axing.
Holly recently dashed ITV’s hopes that she would be their Saturday night star by turning down a lucrative deal to front game show You Bet!.
ITV sources told the Mail she was ‘busy with other commitments’ after Holly branched out to host Celebrity Bear Hunt in her first big role away from ITV.
It is the first time that Holly has not had an ITV show on her schedule for the first time in more than two decades after becoming the broadcaster’s TV darling.
Holly Willoughby has been left without an ITV primetime show for the first time in 21 years after Dancing On Ice’s axing (she is pictured on the show)
She has long been a familiar face on both ITV and ITV2, hosting on shows including Surprise Surprise, Celebrity Juice, The Games, The Xtra Factor and I’m A Celebrity.
Holly is arguably best known for having fronted This Morning alongside Phillip Schofield from 2009 until 2023, while she also helmed Dancing On Ice from 2006.
However, ITV viewers now won’t be able to get a dose of Holly as there has not yet been any public news of her having signed on to another project with the channel.
MailOnline has contacted ITV and Holly’s representatives for comment.
But Holly could be looking ahead to an exciting new future with Netflix as she was said to have impressed bosses hosting new reality TV series Celebrity Bear Hunt.
Insiders recently revealed that Netflix are ‘very keen’ to work with her more on shows, which would be screened across the world after her debut on Bear Grylls’ show.
In a huge blow to ITV, Holly then turned down a lucrative deal to front a new series of the classic game show You Bet! because of her other commitments.
A source told the Mail: ‘You Bet was so popular with the viewers wished it came back for two shows that ITV bosses decided to give it a full run.
The presenter, 44, was ITV’s Golden Girl for many years and carved out her place as the fan favourite face of its top shows including This Morning (pictured) and Dancing On Ice
‘Holly and Stephen are a great double act and they were both brilliant so they were asked back.
‘But Holly politely declined, she has other commitments and couldn’t make it work.
‘She is in demand and now she isn’t shackled to This Morning four days a week, she is able to look at more options, some are global.
‘Celebrity Bear Hunt was a huge thing for her, her first role with Netflix and she just loved it and they loved her so there could very well be much more where that came from.
‘The world is now Holly’s oyster, there are so many opportunities for her.’
An ITV spokesman added: ‘Unfortunately Holly couldn’t commit to the dates to host the new series of You Bet!, but will hopefully appear as a guest panellist on one of the shows in the new series.’
Holly has previously worked with other major British broadcasters, co-hosting Freeze The Fear with Wim Hof alongside Lee Mack on the BBC in 2022.
Away from her TV fame, Holly – who is married to TV producer Dan Baldwin – also runs her own wellness and lifestyle brand, called Wylde Moon.
She is without a show on ITV after dashing ITV’s hopes that she would be their Saturday night star by turning down a lucrative deal to front game show You Bet! with Stephen Mulhern
Her business empire is estimated to be worth £10million and she has also worked with brands including Marks & Spencer, Diet Coke and Oral B.
Holly’s career shake-up comes after it was revealed Dancing On Ice – which she co-hosts with Stephen Mulhern – has been axed, with no plans for a new series in 2026.
Following the 2025 final, rumours had been swirling that the skating show was facing the axe, after staff reportedly told that their work on the show was over.
In a statement shared with MailOnline, an ITV spokesperson then confirmed: ‘Following another successful series earlier this year, Dancing On Ice will be rested in 2026 with no current plans for another series.
‘We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the cast and crew who have worked on the show since 2006, and over the previous 17 series, for all of their hard work both on and off the ice.’
Since its inception in 2006, over 200 celebrities have competed on Dancing On Ice, with approximately 100 versions of the iconic Bolero costume made for stars who performed Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean’s famous skate.
The axing came after Dancing On Ice pulled in its lowest ever viewing figures in show history during its 2025 finale.
Ratings were the lowest ever after Coronation Street star Sam Aston was crowned winner of the 2025 competition.
ITV sources told the Mail she was ‘busy with other commitments’ after Holly branched out to host Celebrity Bear Hunt (pictured on the show) in her first big role away from ITV
Despite the nail-biting final, the show saw just 2.7million viewers tune in – a huge decline at its peak of more than 12million.
The plummeting figures came after it was reported the show ‘would not be returning’ and staff had ‘already been told’ that their jobs are finished.
The show debuted on ITV in 2006, and former Coronation Street actress Gaynor Faye – who played Judy Mallett in the 1990s – won the inaugural series.
The format was rested in 2014 but returned to screens four years later, and has been aired in the early months of the year ever since.
Holly previously hosted the program with her former This Morning co-star Phillip before Stephen took over as her co-host.
After Dancing On Ice’s axing, Stephen will be hosting You Bet! but the search is on for his co-host after Holly turned down the offer.
