Holly Willoughby loses another presenting job after big budget show is axed
HOLLY Willoughby has been dealt a chiller blow with the BBC confirming it has axed her show Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof.
The contest, in which celebrities face challenges in sub-zero temperatures, was seen as paving the way for her to host more Beeb programmes but only ran for one series.
Holly, 42, quit This Morning in October after a murder and kidnap plot against her, and only signed back up to co-present ITV’s Dancing on Ice five days ago.
A telly insider said: “This bad news caps off what’s been an extremely difficult year for Holly, which has seen her drastically reassess her life and career.
“Having Freeze the Fear axed reduces her options and leaves a question mark over where she goes next after leaving her biggest gig as co-host of This Morning.
“It’s also disappointing for her husband Dan, who runs the production company Hungry Bear that made the show.
“But they’ll be consoled with the fact that this month they’ll be delivering Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel and Gladiators for BBC One.”
Holly quit This Morning five months after the resignation of co-host Phillip Schofield, 61, when it emerged he had a fling with a much younger runner.
Then, less than a month before it airs, she confirmed her Dancing on Ice return — with Stephen Mulhern, 46, in the presenting role previously held by Schofield.
Speculation over the future of Freeze the Fear — with extreme athlete Hof and co-hosted by Lee Mack — had rumbled since it aired in 2022 with mediocre ratings.
The BBC spokesman said: “There are no immediate plans for another series of Freeze the Fear on the BBC.”