Katherine Ryan has leapt to Holly Willoughby’s defence, arguing the presenter has been unfairly ‘blamed for the actions of men’ throughout several turbulent years in the spotlight.
The comedian, 43, recently appeared on Willoughby’s new YouTube series Together, which launched last month and promises viewers a ‘home for real conversations.’
While the show has reportedly struggled to find a sizeable audience in its early weeks, Ryan believes there is more behind the lukewarm response than viewers simply having too much to watch.
She suggested lingering anger towards Willoughby, 45, dates back in part to the infamous ‘queue-gate’ controversy of 2022, when she and then-This Morning co-host Phillip Schofield faced an enormous backlash after being accused of skipping the public queue to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state.
The presenters denied jumping the queue at the time, with ITV explaining they had attended Westminster Hall in a professional capacity to film a segment for This Morning.
Speaking at the launch of a West End play, Ryan suggested viewers may not appreciate how little control a high-profile television personality can sometimes have over the logistics surrounding an appearance.
‘I think she’s getting a hard time because she might have jumped the queue to see the deceased queen with someone who turned out to be a bit of a creep,’ she told the DailyMail.
‘People don’t realise this sometimes in a public situation, someone with that much profile gets whisked away and they don’t even know what’s happening.’
Ryan went further, arguing misogyny has played a part in Willoughby becoming associated with controversies involving men around her.
She specifically pointed to Schofield, who left ITV in 2023 after admitting he had lied about an affair with a younger male colleague.
Willoughby had publicly said she was hurt after discovering Schofield had lied to her about the relationship, but she nevertheless found herself caught up in the enormous fallout surrounding her former co-host.
‘I think what happens is we get blamed for the actions of men,’ Ryan said.
‘Was she having an illicit relationship with a junior male colleague or was the man doing that? Was she lying to her wife about the state of the relationship or was it a man?’
Ryan also referenced the horrifying kidnap and murder plot against Willoughby which was uncovered in 2023.
Security guard Gavin Plumb was convicted the following year of plotting to kidnap, rape and murder the presenter and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The case had an enormous impact on Willoughby, who stepped away from This Morning in October 2023 after 14 years on the programme.
Ryan said: ‘And then this guy tried to kill her. So I think she’s been associated with something she didn’t do and traumatised by men.’
Willoughby’s television career has looked markedly different since leaving the ITV daytime staple she hosted for more than a decade.
She has since presented shows including Dancing On Ice and Netflix’s Celebrity Bear Hunt, before turning to YouTube for her latest project.
Together sees Willoughby sitting down with guests for more personal conversations outside the confines of traditional television.
Ryan appeared in its second episode and, despite the show’s reportedly slow start in attracting viewers, believes the format could offer audiences a chance to see a side of the presenter that wasn’t always apparent during her years on daytime TV.
‘I hope a new audience gets to see behind the breakfast television veneer of who Holly Willoughby is, because she’s fun,’ she said.
Whether Together manages to change the public perception of Willoughby remains to be seen, but Ryan clearly thinks the presenter deserves the opportunity to introduce herself again.