Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Kyle O'Sullivan

Jake Humphrey shared bed with Holly Willoughby for six months and wife was fine with it

Jake Humphrey probably makes a lot of people envious - particularly considering he used to share a bed with Holly Willoughby.

The BT Sport presenter, who hit back at Gary Neville's criticism of their Champions League coverage this week, has known Holly since

The pair have been pals for 15 years after hosting CBBC's coverage of Celebrity Fame Academy together in 2002 - having both got into children's TV through different routes.

Holly was discovered by a modelling agency when she was just 14 before appearing in S Club 7 series LA 7 and then hosting X-Change, while Jake was a hospital radio DJ and runner for a TV company.

Jake had already started going out with Harriet, who he would go on to marry in 2007, when Holly started crashing round his flat.

They were so close that Holly would often hop into bed with Jake - but it was all completely innocent.

Jake Humphrey and Holly Willoughby presented the CBBC coverage of Fame Academy (BBC)
Jake was dating Harriet at the time, who he would go on to marry (Getty Images)

Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here .

"When I worked in kids’ TV, I worked with Holly on the CBBC coverage of Celebrity Fame Academy in 2003," explained Jake to The Mirror in 2012.

"Holly was living in Brighton and never used to stay down there so she stayed at my flat in London while we were working on the show.

"Eventually, it got to the point where we couldn’t be bothered to get the blow-up bed out so for about six months we slept in the same bed."

Jake pointed out that "nothing ever happened" between the pair, but admitted things may have been different had he not met Harriet.

He jokingly added: "I wouldn’t want to say I met my wife too early but I would just say Holly’s worst habit is she sleeps naked – joking, of course.

"Holly’s a good mate but I look back on my time with her and wonder what might have been but I was going out with Harriet at the time and she lived in Leeds.

"She had met Holly so she knew what she looked like and she was fine with it."

Jake got married to Harriet in 2007 and they have two kids (Getty Images)
Jake is now a presenter on BT Sport (C1 PHOTOGRAPHY)

Jake and Harriet met in a nightclub in 1999 in their home town of Norwich when they were teenagers but it took a year before they finally got together.

Three weeks later, Harriet, who also works in TV, headed off to university in Leeds, which meant they had to endure a long-distance relationship.

Jake believes that stood them in good stead for times he has been away working for long periods doing BBC Sport's F1 coverage or hosting Champions League football on BT Sport.

"She is brilliant, fantastic, she understands," said Jake, who noted she is not the jealous type.

Holly and Jake were actually reunited back in March 2017 when he was a guest on her ITV sports quizshow Play To The Whistle.

The This Morning host revealed to the rest of the panel that she used to stay round Jake's house before she had moved to London because she had nowhere else to sleep.

"Jake and I have actually known each other for a very long time," explained Holly. "In fact, we first worked together in 2002 for Fame Academy on CBBC.

Holly presented Play To The Whistle (ITV)

"I used to stay around your house I think because at the time I hadn’t even moved to London. So I was living in Brighton and you had a lovely flat and I’d come up and stay with you."

Jake then shocked everyone by dropping the bombshell that they "shared a bed".

A flustered Holly was insisitent that they did not sleep in the same bed and claimed she slept on the floor.

However, Jake explained: "For a bit, but then you couldn't be bothered to get the mattress out if you remember, so you just piled in."

Red-faced Holly then asked if what he had just said "was true" as she claimed to not remember.

Co-star Romesh Ranganathan quipped: "'Is that true?' You're so full of s***, Holly, you know what happened."

Do you have a story to share? Email webfeatures@trinitymirror.com

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.