Holly Willoughby has broken her silence on her terrifying experience at the hands of a security guard stalker who was preparing to kidnap, rape and kill her – and how her family gave her the strength to return to TV.
Gavin Plumb, 37, is serving life in prison with a minimum term of 16 years after he concocted a sick and twisted plot to find like-minded men who would help him stage a ‘home invasion’ at the star’s house.
The details of the plan were so meticulous, so brutal and horrifying, that police and prosecutors alike were in no doubt that Plumb intended to make his twisted fantasies a reality – and saw fit to lock him away.
Mother-of-three Holly, 43, has given her first interview in more than a year after taking time out of the public eye to recover from the trauma of Plumb’s trial – and a This Morning scandal that threatened to torpedo her career.
Breaking down in tears at times, she said the last year had been ‘s*** for all of us’ – her husband Dan Baldwin, sons Harry, 15, and Chester, 10, and daughter Belle, 13.
But having taken time away to regather her strength, the former CITV and CBBC children’s presenter is slowly returning to our screens – from a low-key appearance at the NTAs to the resumption of her presenting duties on Dancing On Ice.
She is also set to appear in Netflix‘s Celebrity Bear Hunt, a game show akin to I’m A Celebrity! on steroids that sees celebrities put through their paces against real crocodiles and snakes while being hunted down by adventurer Bear Grylls.
Plumb was jailed in July 2024 after being found guilty of soliciting murder, and encouraging or assisting kidnap and encouraging or assisting rape.
Holly Willoughby has broken her silence on how she was terrifying stalked by a would-be kidnapper who planned to abduct, rape and kill her
The veteran presenter said she had been grateful for the strength offered by her family as she took time away from work (pictured with husband Dan Baldwin)
She is set to appear in Celebrity Bear Hunt alongside adventurer Bear Grylls on Netflix next month
Holly bravely waived her right to anonymity – which she had as a victim of a sexual offence on the charge of encouraging or assisting rape – so the full sordid details of his plot could be made public.
Shortly after Plumb was arrested in October 2023, she announced her departure from This Morning after 14 years.
Her time on the show, as a viewers’ darling on the ITV sofa, had been overshadowed in the months prior by the sudden departure of Philip Schofield after it emerged he’d had an affair with a junior colleague.
Leaving the show, she said, had been ‘simple and easy’ amidst the storm of being stalked.
And speaking to The Sunday Times, she said the last year had been ‘a tough one… there’s no way of sugar-coating it (but) I’m healthy and I’m happy.
‘I’ve got a wonderful husband and children and family, I’ve got great friends. (I chose) to positively move forward and rely on all those people — the police, the court, the judge, the jury — all those people to do their role. That’s what I had to do.’
She added that it ‘wasn’t an option’ to let the situation consume her – and that she had been grateful for the time she had taken away from television because it meant she was able to do more with her family, such as attending school assemblies.
And she said she had concluded she was made of ‘quite tough stuff’, as borne out by how she has recovered following the Plumb saga.
Essex Police had described Plumb as a ‘dangerous sexual predator’ who had been hatching a plot to kidnap Holly since 2021, downloading thousands of images of her and gaining detailed knowledge of her movements.
The security guard had previous convictions for kidnap and attempted kidnap and had purchased metal cable ties, ropes and chloroform as part of his plan.
Holly Willoughby left This Morning after Plumb’s arrest – which came months after Philip Schofield quit the show after an affair with a junior colleague was exposed
Holly Willoughby pictured with her husband and children. She has said she was grateful for the time away from TV to spend more time with her family
She has since returned to TV – resuming presenting duties on Dancing On Ice, alongside Stephen Mulhern
He had joined a Kik messaging chat called ‘Abduct Lovers’ that was packed with twisted individuals with an interest in kidnapping, raping and murdering people, including celebrities.
He was snared after an undercover American police officer joined the group – and was recruited by an unknowing Plumb for his barbaric plot to abduct and kill the beloved presenter.
Upon his arrest, police found he had downloaded millions of images – including deepfaked pornographic images of Holly – and had conspired to restrain her children and use them as leverage to control her.
Mr Justice Murray, sentencing him to three life sentences, said the monstrous creep’s plans were nothing short of credible.
‘The plan (was) to kidnap and falsely imprison her for the principal purpose of raping and otherwise sexually abusing her over a sustained period of time in ways that would have been particularly sadistic, brutal, and degrading,’ he said.
He told the would-be rapist: ‘Over a number of years, you pursued an unhealthy sexual obsession with Holly Willoughby that led you ultimately to plan over a number of years to kidnap, rape, and murder her.
‘You had previously been convicted of terrifying offences involving the threat of sexual violence against four different young women. I found you to be dangerous.’
Serving his minimum term is no guarantee of release. If he is ever paroled, Plumb will be subject to licence conditions until the day he dies.
Senior investigating officer DCI Greg Wood said at the time: ‘He is no fantasist – he’s a calculated, violent, sexual predator who has spent his adult life inflicting or plotting to inflict harm on women.’
