Holly Willoughby has made her long-awaited comeback to Dancing on Ice after a break from the limelight.
The ITV presenter, 42, has not been on our screens since she stepped down from This Morning in October after 14 years on the sofa.
But tonight (Sunday, January, 14), she returned to the ice skating competition series alongside new host and Phillip Schofield’s replacement, Stephen Mulhern.
Holly did not address her absence from TV as she opened the show but introduced Stephen to the audience, asking DOI fans to give him a ‘huge welcome.’
She said: ‘To the greatest show on ice, and let’s hear it for the amazing cast of 2024. Let me just say a huge welcome to Stephen Mulhern.’
Looking thrilled with his new position, Stephen declared: ‘I’m ready, are you ready?’
The long-time friends and co-hosts then promised an ‘amazing live show’ with the line-up of celebrities, including the likes of former BBC Radio 1 host Adele Roberts and comedian Lou Sanders.
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Earlier this week, the Wylde Moon founder broke her social media silence after three months offline to tease the latest season of the ice skating competition series with a picture of a script after her return to the spotlight was confirmed by ITV in December.
Just hours before her return to DOI, Holly published another picture on Instagram, sharing her glitzy outfit
Looking stunning in a long, silver-sequined dress with a sweetheart neckline, Holly captioned the post: ‘Dancing on Ice series 16! … Let’s do this 1 sequin at a time @dancingonice @itv 6:30pm.’
On Holly’s comeback, PR, brand and culture expert Lynn Carrat told Metro.co.uk her return to Dancing on Ice will be ‘critical’ after her turbulent year.
‘This series of Dancing on Ice is critical for Holly because she needs to reconnect with the viewers.
‘Rightly or wrongly, she lost some credibility with viewers after the Schofield scandal, and the speech she made when she returned to This Morning went down like a lead balloon with the audience,’ she said.
Making an emotional monologue to the camera on the first show since Phillip quit ITV after admitting to lying about an affair, she began: ‘Right, deep breath. Firstly, are you ok? I hope so.’
Her words were met with a mix of sympathy, scorn, and ridicule, with some comparing it to Jennifer Aniston’s fictional scene in The Morning Show.
Not long after, Holly announced her shock departure from This Morning on social media after an alleged kidnap plot against her was revealed.
The statement read: ‘I have let ITV know today that after 14 years, I will not be returning to This Morning.
‘To everyone who has ever worked on the show over the years, thank you so much. This is such a difficult goodbye, you are incredible and I forever will be proud of what we’ve done together. Thank you to everyone at ITV for being supportive. To every guest who has sat on our sofa, thank you.
‘Most of all, thank you to the wonderful viewers. You’ve been so loyal, so supportive and the best company every day.
‘Richard and Judy said, “We only look after this show, it will always belong to the viewers”. It’s been an honour to just be part of its story and I know this story has many chapters left to go. Sadly, however, I now I feel I have to make this decision for me and my family.
She concluded the post: ‘I will miss you all so much.’
Dancing On Ice launches on ITV and ITVX tonight at 6.30pm.
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