They were big boots to fill, but Holly Willoughby has done it with ease after stepping in for Ant McPartlin on this year's I'm A Celebrity alongside Declan Donnelly. The This Morning host – who is terrified of insects – has been such a hit with viewers at home in the first week of the show, that the ratings have increased since last year. In the show's first episode, it hit a peak of 11.9 million viewers, making it the show's highest rated launch in the past five years. It was also the biggest overnight rating of 2018 outside of World Cup matches. The ratings have continued to stay strong, with Tuesday's show peaking at 10.5 million people, up on last year by +1.4 million viewers.
Holly Willoughby has proved her popularity with viewers at home
Tuesday's show saw Holly encourage The Chase's Anne Hegerty during her Bush Tucker trial, which saw her bow out by saying the famous words, I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! after it proved too much for her. Anne was tasked to get stars locked in a series of giant stones in the Monstrous Monoliths challenge, which she had to get out by unlocking padlocks with four digit codes that were on the wall. With it being a trial, Anne was joined by insects and slime as she tried to complete the task in hand. "It's alright Anne, it's ok," Holly said, telling the TV star: "There's nothing in there that's going to hurt you."
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Holly's outfits have also been proving they are just as popular Down Under as they are during the days she presents This Morning. On Tuesday, within minutes of Holly revealing that her red check dress was from All Saints, the store's website went down. It isn't just viewers at home who have been enjoying watching Holly on I'm A Celebrity. Her This Morning co-host Phillip Schofield revealed how proud he was of her after the first show, and that he was very much enjoying watching the show.
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Holly has promised to keep Ant's shoes warm for him
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Ant himself also sent his best wishes to Holly and Dec ahead of the opening show. Taking to Ant and Dec's official Twitter account, Ant wrote: "All the very best of luck little fella and @hollywills for the show tonight. Lots of love from the big fella! A. I'm A Celeb. X." It was revealed in September that Holly would be filling in for Ant on this year's I'm A Celebrity while he continues to take time off from presenting. Holly – who is good friends with both Ant and Dec – promised to keep Ant's shoes warm.
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