Holly Willoughby back on TV screens in Dancing on Ice

Holly Willoughby returns to TV on Dancing on Ice after a break since October, departing This Morning.

The presenter has been absent from TV screens since October, after leaving This Morning.

At the commencement of Sunday’s ITV show, the host extended a “warm welcome” to her new co-host, Stephen Mulhern, who is taking over from Phillip Schofield.

When Willoughby departed from This Morning in October, there were rumors that she might also exit the ice skating competition. However, in December, ITV confirmed that she would remain as the host for the show.

Previously, Schofield had hosted both This Morning and Dancing on Ice alongside Willoughby. Nevertheless, he departed from ITV last year after acknowledging an affair with a younger male colleague and admitting to lying to conceal it.

Willoughby and Mulhern initially collaborated on the children’s program Ministry of Mayhem during the mid-2000s. The show was subsequently renamed Holly & Stephen’s Saturday Showdown.

Additionally, they briefly co-hosted a skating competition in 2022 when Schofield was unable to participate due to testing positive for Covid-19.

At the conclusion of last year, when ITV unveiled the new presenter lineup, it heralded the reunion as the commencement of an exhilarating year for the show.

Just a few days ago, Willoughby hinted at her return to television screens by sharing a snapshot of her Dancing on Ice script on Instagram, stating, “And so it starts…”

This Sunday evening, preceding the show, she shared an image of herself adorned in a sequined gown with the caption: “Embarking on this journey one sequin at a time.”

The current season of the show features notable figures such as Olympic gold medallist Greg Rutherford, actor Ryan Thomas, former boxing champion Ricky Hatton, and Hannah Spearitt, an original member of the pop group S Club 7. Returning judges include Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean, Ashley Banjo, and Oti Mabuse. Holly Willoughby, who recently announced her departure from the long-standing ITV show This Morning after 14 years, is also part of the hosting team. Her decision came amid a brief absence from the daytime program, following a man being charged with soliciting to commit murder in connection to an alleged plot to kidnap the TV presenter.