Holly Willoughby tells of ‘tough’ year after kidnap and murder plot
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.
Gavin Plumb. Pic: Essex Police/PA
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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Holly Willoughby plotter sentenced to life in jail
Read more:
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”.
Holly Willoughby is a former presenter on This Morning
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.”
Thousands of members of actors’ trade union Equity are being asked whether they would support industrial action over artificial intelligence protections.
The organisation has launched an indicative ballot among about 7,000 members working in film and TV.
Performers are being asked whether they are prepared to refuse to be digitally scanned on set in order to secure adequate artificial intelligence protections.
It will be the first time the performing arts and entertainment trade union has asked this whole section of its membership to vote in a ballot.
The Hollywood strikes took place in 2023. File pic: AP
The announcement follows the Hollywood strikes in 2023, when members of Equity’s sister union in the US, SAG-AFTRA, and writers, went on strike over issues including AI.
Video game actors in the US also protested over the use of AI, ending almost a year of industrial action earlier in 2025.
Equity’s ballot opens on Thursday and runs for two weeks, and will show the level of support the union has for action short of a strike.
Another statutory ballot would have to be made before any industrial action is taken.
“While tech companies get away with stealing artists’ likeness or work, and the government and decision makers fret over whether to act, unions including Equity are at the forefront of the fight to ensure working people are protected from artificial intelligence misuse,” Equity general secretary Paul W Fleming said in a statement.
“If bosses can’t ensure someone’s likeness and work won’t be used without their consent, why should performers consent to be digitally scanned in the first place?”
Mr Fleming said the ballot would give members the opportunity to “send a clear message to the industry: that it is a basic right of performers to have autonomy over their own personhood and identity”.
The union has no choice but to recommend members support industrial action, he said.
“It’s time for the bosses to step away from the brink and offer us a package, including on AI protections, which respects our members,” added Mr Fleming.
The hotly anticipated Spotify Wrapped is revealing our top tracks, artists and albums for 2025.
But how does the streaming service calculate personalised summaries of users’ listening habits and rank the UK’s hottest artists?
Here’s a look at how your data is used.
The platform describes the annual statistics as “a chance to look back on your year in sound”.
It says data is captured between January and mid-November on every account, although it mostly excludes anything streamed in private mode. (Don’t worry, your passion for the Spice Girls can be kept secret.)
Wrapped presents personalised listening statistics, which Spotify calls the “real story of your year of listening”, alongside global figures for comparison.
The streaming service says Minutes Listened reflects the actual time spent listening to audio on the platform.
Once a user streams at least 30 tracks, Spotify generates a list of Your Top Songs. Similarly, Your Top Artists ranks artists based on total minutes listening to a particular performer.
Other metrics identify the top genres users have played, as well as podcasts and audiobooks ranked by total minutes listened. And if you’ve listened to at least 70% of tracks on a record, you’ll see top albums too.
Spotify also creates Your Listening Age, a guesstimate of your age based on the era of the music “you feel most connected to”.
The streaming service says the statistic is calculated using a five-year span of music which users engaged with more than other listeners of a similar age.
Spotify has been summing up 2025’s most listened to tracks. Pic: Spotify
Swift vs Bunny
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has been named the UK’s most-streamed artist on Spotify for the third year in a row.
But she dropped out of the top spot in the global rankings, coming second to Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, who secured more than 19.8 billion streams. Third were The Weeknd, followed by Drake and Billie Eilish.
Bad Bunny’s LP Debi Tirar Mas Fotos was the most listened-to album worldwide.
Read more from Sky News:
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Spotify hikes UK prices
Spotify revealed Drake was the UK’s second most-listened to artist, followed by Sabrina Carpenter in third, The Weeknd in fourth and Billie Eilish in fifth.
Despite being the most listened-to artist, Swift failed to break into the UK’s top five most listened-to songs and albums of the year.
Alex Warren’s Ordinary was the most-streamed song, and Short ‘N’ Sweet, released by Carpenter last year, the top album.
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