KATIE HIND: How a month in the jungle with Bear Grylls was the reset Holly Willoughby needed after horror kidnap plot against her

Holly Willoughby’s life changed in an instant, all because of one phone call. 

 For months, the beloved morning presenter felt trapped in her own home, overwhelmed by fear after discovering she had been targeted in a terrifying plot involving kidnapping, rape, and murder. The thought of stepping outside seemed utterly impossible. But in an exclusive interview with the Mail, Holly opens up about the moment things began to shift. It all started when adventurer Bear Grylls called her—a call that sparked the start of her journey out of that long, dark period. That conversation not only marked a turning point for Holly but also began to lift the heavy cloud that had hung over her and her loved ones for more than a year. 

 The former SAS reservist called her with an opportunity she simply couldn’t turn down: to be his co-host on a brand-new celebrity adventure show for Netflix, Celebrity Bear Hunt, set in the lush Costa Rican rainforest. This call came before sexual predator Gavin Plumb was convicted for the heinous plot against Holly and handed a life sentence. For Holly, now 43, this proposal was a chance to regain a sense of normalcy—especially after leaving This Morning in October 2023, just days after Plumb's kidnapping and murder plot was exposed. She accepted without hesitation.

"It felt like the perfect time for me," she confides with a gentle smile as we sit together at London's Raffles Hotel during Netflix's launch of Bear Hunt. The show is an eight-part reality series where 12 celebrities—names like former tennis star Boris Becker, style guru Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen, and Spice Girl Mel B—team up in challenges to outsmart survival expert Bear.

Her eyes light up as she shares that her decision was deeply influenced by her children—Harry, 16; Belle, 13; and Chester, 10. "The past few months haven't been easy for them, either," she admits.

"When Bear called and laid out the concept, I immediately thought, 'This is amazing—it's exactly the kind of show my kids would fall in love with because they absolutely adore Bear.' It just felt like the right move," she explains warmly.

She goes on to share that for a long time, she was reluctant to be away from home for too long, especially when her children were younger. "Even when I was in Australia filming I'm A Celeb, I always made sure they were with me. But this project felt different—it was exciting and offered a much-needed fresh start. I didn’t even hesitate; I said 'yes' right away."

This time around, however, unlike her jungle adventure in 2018 when she stepped in for Ant McPartlin on an ITV show (and could bring her kids along), it wasn’t possible because Harry was busy with his GCSEs.

So, in July, Holly headed off to Costa Rica for a month without her kids or her husband, television producer Dan Baldwin, 50. After all she had been through, this adventure felt like the reset she desperately needed. "We FaceTimed every morning and night," she adds, her voice tinged with both relief and excitement.