Holly Willoughby opted for a white dress as she returned to This Morning after two weeks away (Picture: REX)
Holly Willoughby made her highly-anticipated return to This Morning today – and her outfit choice was slightly different from what we’re used to seeing her in.
The daytime presenter, 42, is known for her vibrant ensembles – especially in summer – as she loves a floral frock.
However, when she returned to the sofa after an early half-term break, she opted for something more demure – a simple white shirt dress, sleeveless with buttons down the front.
But what does this mean?
Well, London-based stylist Bella Hignett tells us that this is her way of portraying ‘innocence’ and starting afresh given the recent drama surrounding the ITV show and ex-presenter Phillip Schofield.
‘Holly was trying to save her reputation this morning on the show so it was a clever colour to wear as it has so many connotations,’ Bella says.
The presenter addressed Phillip Schofield’s affair scandal on camera for the first time (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
‘White is a calming neutral colour and it tends to evoke purity, innocence, and serenity.
‘It reminded me of a blank canvas, a clean slate. She was trying to start again with a clean break.’
She adds: ‘Although trying to look business-like and in control, there was a hint of vulnerability, especially when Josie leaned in to give her a hug.
‘The dress, from Reiss, would have been carefully chosen by her stylist and was very different to the prints and bright colours she has worn of late.’
Holly addressed the recent scandal for the first time on-air today.
Former co-host Phillip, 61, recently quit the show and resigned from ITV completely after admitting to lying about an affair with a much younger male colleague.
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He was also dropped from his talent agency of 35 years following his deceit, with ITV also saying they felt ‘badly let down’ after Phillip previously denied any sort of romance.
The affair happened while Phillip was still married to his wife and before he came out as gay on live TV in 2020.
While he’s keeping a low profile now, the former Dancing On Ice host gave tell-all interviews to The Sun and BBC last week, in which he claimed to have ‘lost everything’.
He explained that he ‘wouldn’t be here’ if it weren’t for his two daughters – Molly and Ruby – as the fallout of his affair confession left him suicidal.
Phillip also explained how he reached out to former BFF Holly to apologise for his behaviour.
He said: ‘I’ve lost my best friend. I let her down (Holly). I let that entire show down. I let the viewers down.
Holly was joined by Josie Gibson for her first show since Phillip’s resignation (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
We’re used to seeing her in much more vibrant outfits (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
‘Holly did not know (about the affair). And she was one of the first texts that I sent, to say, “I am so, so sorry that I lied to you”.’
Meanwhile, This Morning viewers were left somewhat disappointed and confused by Holly’s return, as she didn’t exactly address the situation in the most direct way.
After reports that she had penned an ‘honest’ and ‘open’ statement to read when she returned from holiday in Portugal, Holly spent less than two minutes talking about the events.
‘Hi there, good morning,’ she began, thanking new co-presenter Josie Gibson for being by her side.
‘Right, deep breath,’ she said, clearly emotional, before looking down the lens.
‘Firstly, are you ok? I hope so. It feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil.’
She said she feels ‘troubled’ and ‘let down’ after Phillip admitted to lying about his relationship with a runner (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The former Dancing On Ice host has said he feels suicidal in the aftermath of his exit (Picture: BBC)
She went on: ‘I imagine that you might have been feeling a lot like I have – shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s been going on, and full of questions.
‘You me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt that they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career that they loved. That is a lot to process, and it’s equally hard to see the toll that it’s taken on their own mental health.
‘I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal, for the health and wellbeing of everyone.
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‘I hope that we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that this show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.’
Holly concluded: ‘From my heart, can I just say thank you for all of your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning. Myself, Josie, Dermot, Alison, Craig, and every single person that works on this show will continue to work hard every single day to bring you this show that we love.’
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‘White tends to evoke innocence.’
