Holly Willoughby displays her post-ITV glow up as she prepares to tackle the digital industry after reinventing herself for epic career comeback

She’s said to have distanced herself from ITV in a bid to tackle the digital industry. 

And Holly Willoughby is seemingly also distancing herself from her ITV image, displaying a glamorous new look at The King’s Trust Invest in Futures: 50th Anniversary Gala at The Chancery Rosewood on Thursday night.

Holly, 45, looked sensational at the soiree as she modelled a plunging long-sleeved fitted dress with white sleeves and a black bodice and skirt.

Gone was her icy blonde bob from her This Morning days, in favour of a warmer honey hue and longer locks that had been secured in a chic chignon bun. 

The mother-of-three’s facial features were also notably more chiselled, while she opted for a bolder makeup style than her time on daytime TV. 

In another hint that she’s been gearing up to make her comeback, Holly has been far more active on social media of late, sharing snaps from recent holidays and giving fans a glimpse into her enviable wardrobe.  

Certainly, an increased social media presence is crucial given Holly’s plan to move on from traditional TV and harness the power of online. 

The Daily Mail’s Katie Hind revealed Holly’s new plan – that she is working on a new digital project which will involve both producing and presenting her own show to be streamed online.

Katie understands that it might have echoes of her time at This Morning, where she transformed herself from children’s presenter to household name. 

The new project, which she is self-funding, is still under development. But Holly has impressive help on hand. 

She is working with a team at her husband Dan Baldwin’s television production company Hungry Bear, which is behind shows such as Gladiators, and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, both screened on BBC One.

‘Holly has done television for 25 years and now she wants to make her own thing,’ a friend of the star shared. 

‘And now daytime television is very much on the slide and it’s time for something new. She is excited, it is something so new and innovative, hopefully it will work.

‘The television landscape has changed so much, people are consuming content on TikTok and other digital platforms.

‘Holly has seen an opportunity now to start something new which has a future, unlike the kind of stuff she has done in the past.’

Such is Holly’s determination to start afresh that she turned down the chance of hosting ITV’s You Bet! for a third time, having hosted two specials with Stephen Mulhern in 2024. The series has since been axed. 

You Bet! was one of three projects Holly had worked on since leaving This Morning in October 2023 following her torment at the hands of former security guard Gavin Plumb, who was last summer found guilty of a plot to kidnap, rape and murder her.

The sickening crime came just months after she fell out with co-presenter and friend, Phillip Schofield.

As well as her work on You Bet! Holly had hosted Dancing On Ice, which as of last year is ‘rested’ with were no plans for a future series. 

She also presented Bear Hunt, which was cancelled by Netflix after just one season. 

The source explained: ‘While she still has a good relationship with ITV, she has walked away from shows there and she has no intention right now to go back. 

‘She was offered the chance to host You Bet but she declined and there have been other opportunities too: She could have taken them and carried on where she left off when she had that awful time with Gavin Plumb.

‘But Holly has an idea and she knows if she doesn’t do it now, she will never know if it will work. Of course it is a risk, but she wanted a change. 

‘Not only will she be in front of a camera but she will be in charge behind it, too, and that is very exciting.’