Holly Willoughby "to keep clothing line"

Holly Willoughby "to keep clothing line"
Holly Willoughby "to keep clothing line" (Image credit: PA Archive/PA Photos)

This Morning's new presenter Holly Willoughby will keep her clothing range going - even though show bosses banned Fern Britton from launching her own. The Sun reports that Holly - who will take over from Fern when the show returns in the autumn - has been allowed to keep her current deal with Littlewoods Direct. However Fern is said to have nearly quit the show last year after being told she was not allowed to launch her own range of fashion for larger ladies. Show bosses told the 52-year-old at the time that it would not sit well with the daytime show's own fashion reviews. "This is a real slap in the face for Fern," a show source said. "She only wanted to launch a handful of garments but ITV insisted it wouldn't be right with her role on This Morning. "The execs were so adamant it got to the point where Fern nearly quit over the row. But the same rules don't seem to apply to Holly." However ITV defended its decision. "Holly has a pre-existing clothing contract which was arranged long before she signed to present This Morning," a source told the paper. "It will have no influence on the decisions of the editorial team when deciding which items to feature on the show."

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.