Holly Willoughby defends skipping This Morning to take her three children back to school and says it was an ’emotional and important’ experience
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Holly Willoughby defended her decision to skip This Morning to take her three children back to school on Tuesday’s show.
The presenter, 39, was absent on Monday’s edition as her three kids – Harry, 11, Belle, nine, and Chester, five, returned to the classroom following three months off due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Holly was asked about the experience by co-host Phillip Schofield, 58, on Tuesday’s show where she admitted it was ’emotional’.
Back to school: Holly Willoughby defended her decision to skip This Morning to take her three children back to school on Tuesday’s show
The Dancing On Ice presenter also thanked the ITV chatshow for allowing her time off and stressed that it was ‘important’ to her.
Holly said: ‘Thanks for yesterday. It was really good, the school was brilliant and it was super organised. I was quite worried about it, I think naturally as a parent you worry about these things.
‘But actually, very organised, the kids were just so excited to see each other. I got a little bit emotional!’
‘The new norm’: The presenter, 39, was absent on Monday’s edition as her three kids – Harry, 11, Belle, nine, and Chester, five, returned to the classroom following three months off due to the coronavirus pandemic
Holly then explained that it was a strange experience as she was ‘relinquishing control’ over her three children after spending every day with them during lockdown.
She said: ‘Do you know what it is? I’ve been with them the whole time. I know exactly what they’ve done, what they’ve eaten and what they’ve learnt… it’s like having them back as babies. I’ve known everything.
‘Then yesterday, suddenly they were doing stuff I didn’t know about. It was like relinquishing control.’
Phillip then asked Holly whether her three children turned around to look back at her after being dropped off at school.
‘Emotional’: Holly was asked about the experience by co-host Phillip Schofield, 58, on Tuesday’s show where she admitted it was ’emotional’
Praise: The Dancing On Ice presenter also thanked the ITV chatshow for allowing her time off and stressed that it was ‘important’ to her
To which she revealed: ‘Chester did. The other two didn’t, I was like that [she pretended to look around and wave]. They just disappeared but Chester, a couple of times, looked back.
‘I think it was weird as they go in, they hand over their health and safety form, get their temperature checked. Then a bit of anti-bac, it’s like, “Oh, this is a bit weird”. But it was all good and very upbeat, which was nice.’
Holly added that her three children loved returning to school, she said: ‘Oh, delighted. They were just so happy to see their friends. I think you underestimate just how much they need that interaction. So yeah it was lovely.’
Candid: She said: ‘I was quite worried about it, I think naturally as a parent you worry about these things. But actually, very organised, the kids were just so excited to see each other. I got a little bit emotional!’
The star finished off her chat by thanking the show for allowing her time off, she concluded: ‘Thank you for letting me do that yesterday, it was important.’
Holly skipped Monday’s edition This Morning to take her three children back to school following three months off due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The ITV veteran shared an image of herself embarking on the ‘new normal’ school run after admitting working mum guilt is her ‘biggest challenge’.
The presenter was replaced by Big Brother: Best Shows Ever star Davina McCall, who confessed she felt ‘nervous’ as she fronted the daytime programme alongside Phillip.
‘Delighted’: Holly added that her three children loved returning to school, she said: ‘Oh, delighted. They were just so happy to see their friends. I think you underestimate just how much they need that interaction. So yeah it was lovely.’
Explaining why host Davina, 52, stood in for Holly last-minute, the blonde’s TV husband, 58, said: ‘Welcome to a new week, and this is Davina.
‘Holly is taking her children to school today. They’re all going back and it is a staggered affair.’
The Masked Singer judge praised the mother-of-three as she said: ‘After three months off… what a good mummy.’
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced a staggered return for pupils in some educational institutions earlier this month.
Shake-up: The presenter was replaced by Davina McCall, who confessed she felt ‘nervous’ as she fronted the daytime programme alongside Phillip on Monday
Marking the first time they presented the show together, Dancing On Ice’s Phillip asked: ‘We haven’t done this with me before?’, with his new co-host confirming: ‘No, I don’t think we have’.
Media personality Holly has been the face of This Morning since replacing Fern Britton in September 2009, and often takes breaks from work to spend time with her family during half-term periods and summer holidays.
The former Celebrity Juice panellist, who shares her kids with with husband of 12 years Dan Baldwin, recently discussed experiencing working mum guilt in a candid interview with Red Magazine.
The star said she never imagined juggling motherhood with a career when she dreamed of having a family.
She explained: ‘Becoming a mum was the only thing I knew I definitely wanted when I was growing up, but the image I had never involved me being a working mum and that’s been the biggest challenge.
‘I’ve been riddled with guilt about getting that part wrong. You love them so much and you don’t want to mess them up.
Holly said her working schedule meant she had missed key days in her children’s lives.
She added: ‘The truth is, I didn’t do the drop-off on Harry’s or Belle’s first day of school because I was working. I hate that I wasn’t there because those are memories you can’t get back.
Family first: The mother-of-three often takes breaks from work to spend time with her family during half-term periods and summer holidays
‘But I’ve realised the only way that I can combat those feelings is to accept that sometimes I don’t get it right – and that’s fine.’
The TV star added that she’s ‘lucky’ she’s able to greet her kids after school and be there on weekends.
Parenthood serves as number one priority in Holly’s life, so much so that she took her kids out of school when she stood in for Ant McPartlin during the 2018 edition of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in Australia.
Priority: Holly even took her kids out of school when she stood in for Ant McPartlin during the 2018 edition of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in Australia (pictured)
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