Holly Marie Willoughby (* 10 February 1981 in Brighton) is an English television presenter, best known for the ITV ice skating show Dancing on Ice. She was educated at the independent Burgess Hill School in the town of Burgess Hill in West Sussex.


Willoughby started out as an underwear model for various clients including Pretty Polly, appearing in various adverts and posters - one wall poster featuring her and three other models is still available to buy in some shops.

She started her television career in 2000, becoming one of the presenters on the short-lived CITV show S Club TV, a spin-off of the British pop band S Club 7. After that, she presented several shows for CBBC including Xchange and also the Fame Academy spin-off show on the CBBC Channel.

In 2005, Willoughby moved back to CITV to co-present the successor to SMTV Live called Ministry of Mayhem, later renamed Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown. Every Saturday morning she was covered in gunge, starred in several sketches and comedic situations and also interviewed special guests, whilst linking to various competitions and cartoons. In 2006 she won the BAFTA children's TV presenter award.[1]

In January 2006, she started hosting the new ITV ice skating show Dancing on Ice with Phillip Schofield, and returned to co-host the show in 2007 and 2008.

She has presented Streetmate for ITV2, and a similar show, with friend Fearne Cotton called Holly & Fearne Go Dating was hastily dropped due to poor viewing figures after debuting on September 5, 2007

She has since also presented on other ITV programmes, including co-presenting the ITV2 companion show for Celebrity Wrestling with Jack Osbourne, and the ITV2 show Lip Service with Spencer Brown.

ITV have also used her to present a number of music related shows, including The Westlife Show: Live, a one-off music show on ITV1 on December 15, 2007, as well as occasionally presenting ITV's flagship music show CD:UK. She also presented Greased Lightnin, the ITV2 spin-off show to the main show Grease Is the Word. The main show was on Saturday nights (ITV), with the spin off-shown later in the evening (ITV2).

She has also competed in a number of shows, including competeing with Fearne Cotton in ITV's Saturday Night entertainment show, Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, on September 29, 2007 and taking part with in an episode of All Star Family Fortunes, on November 3, 2007.