This Morning fans are used to switching on to see Holly Willoughby standing next to co-host Phillip Schofield, but on Wednesday the TV star was noticeably absent from the show. Instead, Rochelle Humes – who covered for Holly during her stint in I'm A Celebrity – was in her place. Phillip opened the show, explaining that Holly was too unwell to work. He said: "Holly is ill today. She's been on a downward spiral all week, which started on Dancing on Ice on Sunday." The mum-of-three had previously said that her children had all been ill with the flu over the week.
Rochelle Humes was in Holly Willoughby's place on Wednesday's This Morning
READ: Strictly Come Dancing professional leaves after eight years
Rochelle very much enjoys working with Phillip, and she is close friends with him and Holly outside of work. She has previously opened up what it's like behind-the-scenes of the daytime show, telling The Sun: "He's so relaxed, so easy-breezy. He never flaps on or off camera. I've grown up watching him on telly and when he’s as nice as you’re hoping – which doesn’t ever happen, by the way – and so nurturing and lovely to be around, I was just made up. He's a real gent with everyone and he’s the bones of that show."
MORE: See inside Holly Willoughby's gorgeous house
While she is now resting, Holly's week started on a high when she celebrated her 38th birthday on Sunday at a luxury treehouse hotel with her family. Taking to Instagram, the doting mum shared a gorgeous picture of herself waking up surrounded by children Harry, Belle and Chester, and wrote next to it: "Hugs, happiness and birthday bundles...Hello 38... what do you have in store?" The This Morning host and her family stayed overnight at the Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa in Hampshire ahead of her Dancing on Ice presenting duties in London that evening, and she wasted no time in making the most of all the treatments on offer. In another photo, Holly was seen enjoying a glass of champagne in the hot tub.
Holly's rise to stardom
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.