Holly Willoughby thanks mum for ‘strength and guidance’ amid career change

Holly Willoughby celebrated her mum with a gushing social media post on Mother’s Day – days after she was given the sad news that her once popular ITV show had been cancelled

Holly Willoughby paid tribute to her mum, Linda, on Mother’s Day(Image: Holly Willoughby/Instagram)
Holly Willoughby delighted her fans by sharing a loving message to her mum on Mother’s Day. The 44-year-old former This Morning star took to social media on Sunday to share a photograph of her mum, Linda, as she begins a new chapter in her career.

Heaping praise on her mum, Holly shared her thanks for the “strength and guidance” she gives her. The message was shared amid difficult times for Holly – as her career took a hit this week as one of her biggest shows got axed by ITV.

The TV star is the daughter of double-glazing company sales manager Brian Willoughby and his wife Linda – a former air stewardess. On Sunday, Linda was the focus of Holly’s affection as she uploaded an incredible photograph of herself with her mum – while another photo showed Linda posing alongside music legend Sir Rod Stewart.

Quoting the rock star’s song Pure Love in the caption, Holly wrote: “Like Rod said… Always been the BEST part of me… thank you for your strength and guidance … love you so much Mamma… Happy Mother’s Day…”

Fans were overjoyed by the snaps and Holly’s message and took to the comments section to interact with the star. One fan wrote: “What a lovely photo hope you both have a wonderful Mother’s Day.” While another gushed: “Beautiful just like your mum Holly. Have a lovely day whatever you are doing.”

The TV star shared a snap of Linda with rock icon Rod Stewart(Image: Instagram)
The charming snaps were shared days after Holly was told she was out of a job – as long-running winter sport reality contest Dancing On Ice was axed by ITV. The series struggled in the ratings – with the 2025 season pulling in just 2.7 million viewers for the final episode.

This marked a shocking decline for the once popular show that used to attract 12 million viewers in its best days. The show had been struck with some issues ahead of the 2024 season, as host Phillip Schofield saw his career implode as he confessed to lying about an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger colleague that he had worked with on This Morning.

Stephen Mulhern was drafted in to replace the host – and he co-presented the show alongside Holly. However, the series lost its magic and ratings took a huge tumble – leading bosses to pull the plug. The axe comes as Holly looks to take on more projects with streaming services like Netflix.

Holly’s show, Dancing On Ice, was cancelled last week(Image: Kieron McCarron/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Last week, Holly paid tribute to the series in an emotional social media post marking the end of the show. She wrote: “A huge thank you to @itv, The brilliant team, Crew, Celebrities and Everyone who has been part of our Dancing on Ice family over the last 19 years.”

She continued: “Every year, just when January felt at its greyest, Dancing on Ice arrived like a burst of glittering, dazzling light, warm, joyful, and full of heart… It has been an absolute privilege to work alongside true national treasures Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, and to have a front-row seat to their breathtaking skating.”

She went on: “Watching them glide across the ice was nothing less than pure magic… A special thanks must also go to Arnica, Deep Heat,Spanx and fake tan, unsung heroes of the rink! … I will miss it hugely, but I count myself so lucky to have had it for as long as we did.”

And she added: “Finally and most importantly, thank you to you for watching, you’re the BEST!” Her words struck a chord with fans as many lamented the series’s cancellation. One fan responded to the post to write: “I am really going to miss it. As you say it brightened up a miserable, dark two months. Thanks all for the memories.”