Holly Willoughby’s new digital lifestyle YouTube series Together has reportedly sparked fresh tension with her former ITV programme, This Morning.
The Mail on Sunday, in a report published by MailOnline, alleges that two guests who had already filmed appearances with Holly were subsequently booked by This Morning. Their ITV appearances then aired before their Together episodes were released on YouTube.
An unnamed source familiar with the bookings suggested the timing was no coincidence and claimed, “it feels a bit like sabotage.”
Which Together guests appeared on This Morning?
One of the guests was Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died in April 2022. She believes his death followed an online challenge and has campaigned on the issue.
According to the report, Ellen was interviewed by Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond on This Morning on Thursday. Her prerecorded conversation with Holly was due to be released five days later.
Food bloggers Original Flava also cooked on This Morning on Wednesday, ahead of the release of their appearance in the Together kitchen.
The newspaper claims both bookings were made after the guests were named in promotional material for Holly’s series. Its source alleged that This Morning had moved quickly to feature them before Holly’s viewers could watch their episodes.
The suggestion of deliberate interference came from the unnamed source. The report did not present evidence of an instruction from ITV to undermine Together or suggest that the guests had agreed to exclusive appearances.
‘There is no way that this is a coincidence. Ellen Roome has been bravely fighting her fight for a long time but This Morning have never had her on,” they said.
“Holly’s team put out a press release in good faith to share what was coming up, in between then and the episodes going live This Morning have swept in and grabbed her guests. ITV must be very jealous indeed.”
ED! has contacted Holly and ITV’s reps for comment.
Holly’s move from This Morning to YouTube
Comparisons between the two programmes were likely from the outset. Together features food, fashion, beauty and personal conversations — areas also regularly explored by ITV’s daytime show.
Holly presented This Morning for 14 years before leaving in October 2023. Her departure came after police informed her about a serious plot against her, leaving the presenter frightened and away from the programme.
She returned to ITV to host Dancing On Ice in 2024, but Together marks her latest attempt to connect with viewers through a digital format rather than a traditional television slot.
This Morning is now mainly presented by Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley, while Dermot and Alison host on Fridays.
How is Holly Willoughby’s Together performing?
Despite the reported tension, Holly is said to be pleased with the early viewing figures.
At the time of the MailOnline report, the Together YouTube channel had accumulated 141,000 views, including its initial teaser. The first full episode, featuring actor Stanley Tucci, had attracted 59,000 views after four days.
The newspaper compared that figure with 19,000 views for an episode of Hanging Out with Ant and Dec that had been released one day earlier. A Davina McCall video featuring physicist Brian Cox had received 31,000 views after being uploaded on Thursday.
Those figures represent an early snapshot and were recorded across different periods. However, they indicate that Holly’s first Together episode found a sizeable audience during its opening days.
Do you enjoy Holly Willoughby and her new YouTube show? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and then let us know your thoughts! We want to hear from you.