Holly Willoughby’s new YouTube lifestyle series, Together, has sparked apparent tension with ITV, her former employer where she hosted the long-running daytime show This Morning for 14 years. Sources indicate that ITV moved quickly to book guests featured on Willoughby’s show for appearances on This Morning before the episodes on Together were publicly released.
According to insiders, the move appeared to be a direct response to a press release promoting Together’s launch, which named several upcoming guests. Among those are Ellen Roome, who lost her 14-year-old son in 2022 to what she describes as an “online challenge gone wrong,” and the food bloggers Original Flava. Roome’s interview aired on This Morning five days before her pre-recorded episode with Willoughby debuted on YouTube. Similarly, Original Flava appeared on This Morning shortly before their scheduled episode on Together was published.
A source close to the situation suggested the timing was deliberate, describing the guest bookings as “not a coincidence” and raising concerns that it could be perceived as an attempt to undermine Willoughby’s new venture. The source noted that Roome had not previously appeared on This Morning despite advocating on sensitive issues, and that ITV’s actions seemed motivated by jealousy over Willoughby’s independent platform.
Willoughby’s departure from This Morning occurred in October 2023, following the ousting of her co-host Phillip Schofield and a serious security threat in which police prevented a plot against her. The experience left her unable to leave her home for several months. She has since returned to television with a stint on Dancing On Ice in 2024 but declined to front other ITV projects, including a game show reboot. This Morning is currently hosted mainly by Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, with Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond appearing on Fridays, though the programme’s ratings have declined significantly since Willoughby’s departure, dropping from around 3 million viewers to approximately 500,000 per episode.
Despite critical reviews of Together’s first episode, which featured actor Stanley Tucci, Willoughby’s show has attracted strong viewership on its YouTube channel. The debut episode accumulated 59,000 views within four days, while a teaser released earlier contributed to a total of 141,000 views. Willoughby’s team expressed satisfaction with these numbers, highlighting that the show outperformed recent online content from former ITV colleagues including Ant and Dec and Davina McCall.
Together’s early success on digital platforms points to a strong start for Willoughby’s independent career outside traditional broadcast television, even amid ongoing competition with her former network.