I'm a Celebrity: Will Holly Willoughby return to present ITV series in 2019?
ITV reality series was one of the most watched series to date
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Your support makes all the difference.Following the finale of I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here, many viewers have been left wondering how Holly Willoughby will factor into next year’s series following the return of original presenter Ant McPartlin.
Willoughby stepped in to replace Ant after ITV granted him a year off to tackle personal problems, and has since impressed audiences all series long.
Despite Willoughby insisting her role as Declan Donnelly’s co-presenter was “a one-off deal,” it seems bosses aren’t entirely ready to let her go.
According to reports, the This Morning host will be asked to return to Australia in 2019 to present alongside Ant and Dec in some capacity.
“Holly has done a great job this series. All of the execs have absolutely loved having her on the show,” a source reportedly told the Daily Star.
“Many presenters would have crumbled under the pressure of joining such a big show, but Holly stepped up to the plate. The top people at ITV are now really keen to get her back next year.”
These reports conflict with sentiments expressed by her This Morning co-host Philip Schofield. He told the tabloid just last week that, while she’s been “a triumph in the jungle,” fans shouldn’t get “attached” as it was only a caretaker role.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if ITV executives wanted Willoughby back. This year’s series, won by former football manager Harry Redknapp, pulled in up to 13m viewers a night – an increase on the 2017 edition.
Still, anything could happen – and McPartlin may even decide to continue his sabbatical. If he does, it will be very unlikely ITV wouldn’t call upon the services of Willoughby once again.
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The presenter will be reunited with Schofield on the new series of Dancing On Ice which returns to ITV in January.
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