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Louise Thomas
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Holly Willoughby is set to return to ITV to host a reboot of a Nineties game show.
The presenter, 43, announced her decision to leave ITV’s This Morning after 14 years last October after news emerged of a kidnap plot against her by security guard Gavin Plumb, who has since been handed three life sentences for plotting to abduct, rape and murder the star.
Willoughby will now front a new show alongside her Dancing on Ice co-host Stephen Mulhern, having made her ITV comeback on the skating competition in January.
The Dancing on Ice presenters will host the revival of the 1990s challenge show You Bet!, which last aired in 1997 and was previously fronted by Bruce Forsyth, Darren Day and Matthew Kelly.
You Bet! will air on ITV1 and ITVX for two specials this Autumn. In the game show, a panel of celebrities and a studio audience predict whether each competitor can complete a difficult challenge they’ve been set. If stars guess correctly, points will be added to their score based on the number of studio audience members who voted the same way.
At the end of each episode, the You Bet! Studio audience will vote for their favourite contestant who will win a £10,000 prize. The celebrity with the highest score will also win £10,000 for their chosen charity. Meanwhile, the A-lister with the fewest points will face a forfeit.
Speaking of her return to ITV, Willoughby said: “I’m so excited to be part of this iconic game show with the fabulous Stephen Mulhern. I’m looking forward to seeing the astonishing skills on show from the challengers and which of our celebrity panellists can come out on top.”
Mulhern added: “’I loved You Bet! as a kid, so I’m very excited to be hosting this with the wonderful Holly Willoughby. From the big and spectacular to the unique and unexpected, I can’t wait to see what extraordinary skills the challengers have up their sleeves.”
It comes after Gavin Plumb was jailed for life last month. The “obsessed” security guard must serve a minimum of 15 years and 85 days after he was unanimously found guilty of masterminding a depraved scheme to target the former This Morning presenter – who was his “ultimate fantasy” – in a home invasion.
The plot had a “life-changing” impact on Willoughby, who announced on social media at the time that she was leaving This Morning “for me and my family”.
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Willoughby wrote in a statement in October: “Thank you to the wonderful viewers. You’ve been so loyal, so supportive and the very best company every day.
“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 feel I have to make this decision for me and my family. I will miss you all so much.”
