Holly Willoughby 'in secret talks' for Ant McPartlin's I'm A Celebrity role

24 August 2018

Holly Willoughby is in secret talks to replace Ant McPartlin on this year's 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!'

Holly Willoughby

The 'This Morning' co-host is the "front-runner" to team up with Declan Donnelly to present the show, and her discussions with ITV bosses about the possibility of fronting the Australian-based reality series are said to be at an "advanced stage".

A source said: "Holly is far and away the front-runner and talks are at an advanced stage.

"Not only is she loved by ITV bosses and the nation, but she is also one of Ant's closest friends."

One potential stumbling block is said to be whether ITV could find cover for Holly on 'This Morning' - from which she and fellow presenter Phillip Schofield are currently on their usual six-week summer holiday - but she is reportedly keen to step in for her pal Ant.

The source added to The Sun newspaper: "Flying the flag for him in his absence means the world to her."

This comes after Kevin Lygo, head of studios at ITV, confirmed yesterday (23.08.18) that Dec will not host the show alone following Ant's decision to take the rest of the year off from TV commitments, which came after he spent time in rehab, and was fined £86,000 for drink-driving earlier this year.

Kevin said: "We'll find someone to stand by his side."

And he joked that 'Good Morning Britain' presenter Piers Morgan might get the nod to team up with Dec.

He quipped: "It's going to be Piers Morgan. No, I don't know, it could be Jeremy Corbyn. I can't say."

Kevin revealed Ant is "doing really well" on the road to recovery.

He said: "The good news is that he's doing really well, he's doing everything he should be doing to get better.

"We collectively thought, let's give it a good amount of time off, this is a slow procedure, that's what we've decided to do."

Scarlett Moffatt is among the stars talked about as a potential replacement for Ant on the upcoming 'I'm A Celeb' series, but she is expected to remain on the spin-off show, 'I'm a Celebrity... Extra Camp'.