Holly Willoughby has revealed how a plot to murder her impacted her, saying “nothing can prepare you for something like that”.
In July last year, security guard Gavin Plumb, then aged 37, was found guilty of planning to kidnap, rape and kill the British television presenter.
Prosecutors said he was obsessed with the then This Morning host, who left the ITV show after 14 years in October 2023 following his arrest.
The 43-year-old celebrity waived her right to anonymity in connection with the charges against Plumb.
He was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court to life in jail with a minimum term of 16 years.
In a new interview with The Sunday Times, Willoughby said of the past year: “It’s been a tough one. There’s no way of sugar-coating it.”
She added that you need to “decide, I can take this on board and it can absolutely affect all aspects of my life, or I can make a choice to go, let’s focus on everything that’s positive and good, all those important things”.
“I’m healthy and I’m happy,” she continued.
‘Positively moving forward’
“I’ve got a wonderful husband and children and family, I’ve got great friends. You have to go: I choose 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. And that’s what I had to do.”
Willoughby also said she never felt she would crumble as it was “not an option”, and that “so many people go through tough things, they just do”.
She said it was “really simple and easy” to step away from This Morning. She also said she knew she would return to television, adding that she would “be an idiot if” money was not important to her working in TV.
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How Plumb went from ‘quiet hermit’ to ‘imminent danger’
Security guard’s social media history reveals obsession
Police said Plumb had scoured social media and material online, amassing thousands of images of the star and gaining detailed knowledge of her activity and movements.
But Plumb – who has previous convictions for kidnap and attempted kidnap of women – had a sinister and violent streak and began plotting to abduct, attack and murder the television presenter.
During Plumb’s trial, an undercover US police officer told jurors he believed Plumb posed an “imminent threat” to the star after meeting him on a Kik messenger group called “Abduct Lovers”.
Plumb said in messages he planned to target Willoughby in a “home invasion”, using chloroform to subdue her and her husband, the TV producer Dan Baldwin, before tying them up, kidnapping her and repeatedly raping her.
He shared a video of his “kidnap kit” with the officer, who told Plumb he would travel from New York to help him carry out the plan, then alerted the FBI and police in the UK, who raided his flat in Harlow, Essex.
After Plumb’s conviction, Willoughby said women “should not be made to feel unsafe going about our daily lives and in our own homes”.
In a statement at the time, the TV presenter also thanked the undercover US police officer who helped foil the plot.
She said: “I will forever be grateful to the undercover police officer who understood the imminent threat, and to the Metropolitan and Essex police forces for their swift response.
“Thank you to the Crown Prosecution Service, the Rt Hon Mr Justice Murray, Alison Morgan KC, the members of the jury and all involved in this case for ensuring that justice was done and that the defendant will not be able to harm any more women.
“I would also like to commend the bravery of his previous victims for speaking up at the time. Without their bravery this conviction may not have been possible.”
Source : Sky News
