EXCLUSIVE: Celebrity Bear Hunt presenter Holly Willoughby has spoken to Daily Star about the one thing she finds "quite terrifying" about her new Netflix venture
16:50, 08 Feb 2025Updated 16:54, 08 Feb 2025
Holly Willoughby has made a confession about Celebrity Bear Hunt.
The presenter has just launched the biggest role of her career as the host on Celebrity Bear Hunt, a new reality show a bit like I’m A Celebrity. It’s streaming on Netflix, so it’s being watched by millions of viewers around the world.
Willoughby says: “I think it’s such an exciting format. You just hope people will love it as much as we do. I haven’t really thought about the audience being global. It’s probably better if I don’t think about that. It’s such a huge concept and actually could be quite terrifying.”
The presenter is one of the most talked-about people in Britain, but she insists she doesn’t read what people say about her. After working in TV for so long, she has decided it’s better not to look.
Holly says: “I tend not to look at what people are saying on social media. I used to. At the beginning of my career, I did. But I’ve learned not to. I think it’s better to focus on how you feel about something."
"We all know when we’ve done a good job and we all know when we’ve done a bad job. I am my best and worst critic in a way, so I leave all that up to myself.” Holly’s TV shows often divide opinion and over the years she’s had plenty of hits, but also had her fair share of flops.
However, she doesn’t let it get to her: “That’s life. That’s what happens all the time, in all walks of life. Some things will be a success. Some things won’t be. That’s part of it. You can’t have everything go right all the way through life because life is just not like that.”
The former This Morning presenter has been away filming Celebrity Bear Hunt in the jungle in Costa Rica, and taking it on was a big decision as it meant time away from her hubby Dan Baldwin and their three kids: "It was a big deal being away from my family,” she admits.
“Filming lasted for three-and-a-half weeks… that was a big deal. Normally I am doing stuff inside the M25 and get home in a heartbeat! I wanted to do something that was a real adventure. That was part of the draw. Subconsciously, you want to test yourself a little bit and see what you’re made of."
Holly took a break from TV when back in October 2023, it emerged she had been the target of a sick murder and kidnap threat. “It feels really good to be working again,” she says. “Doing Dancing On Ice is like returning to an old family because I’ve been working with those guys for years.”
She has now been a firm fixture on our screens for a quarter of a century. The Brighton-born star found fame on kids TV before starring in hits including This Morning, Celebrity Juice, Play To The Whistle and The Voice.
Holly revealed: “I did a show the other day and they said, ‘Holly has been on telly for 25 years,’ and I was shocked. It has flown by. I am very lucky that I’ve been doing it that long.”
Despite her recent ordeal, she still loves TV as much as she ever has: “I love my job. I love going to work. I really enjoy it. That has never changed. I get to do lots of different things and no day looks the same. One minute you’re in Costa Rica, one minute you’re with Torvill and Dean. I feel very blessed.”
Holly is still at the top of her game with a string of top shows, but she isn’t promising she’ll stay on TV indefinitely: “What I have learned is you never know where life is going to take you. Right now, I’m loving doing this and doing what I’m doing. It’s best not to look too far into the future. But at the moment it feels really good.”
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