We've said bye bye to @hollywills and the baton has officially been passed to @Amanda_Holden! pic.twitter.com/ZLBAshrrpl
- This Morning (@itvthismorning) September 18, 2014
Pregnant Holly Willoughby said a temporary goodbye to This Morning as she started her maternity leave today. Holly's baby, her third child with TV producer husband Dan Baldwin, is due in October. She is already mum to Harry, five, and Belle, three.
Holly, 33, recorded a special message for viewers alongside co-host Phillip Schofield to mark the occasion.
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The Celebrity Juice captain has said she wanted to start her maternity leave as close to her due date as possible. She must be hoping she gets a few weeks of pre-baby time - last time she went into labour with her daughter Belle a month early, just days after filming her last episode of This Morning.
Amanda Holden will be taking Holly's place beside Phillip Schofield for the next few months, while Gino D'Acampo will be filling her place as team captain on Keith Lemon's panel show Celebrity Juice.
It was an emotional farewell for Holly, if only a temporary one, at the ITV studios today.
This Morning co-workers presented her with an elaborate cake which read 'Good Luck Holly, We'll miss you!'. The show only returned from its summer break two weeks ago.
After the on-air celebrations, Holly sat down with 'Schofe' to record a special off-camera message, where she spoke tearfully, saying: "I will be back soon. I've got something else to do for a little while!"
When she left the This Morning sofa to have her daughter Belle three years ago, Jenni Falconer and Ruth Langsford, covered her maternity leave.
But leaving obviously hasn't got any easier for Holly, who tweeted a heartfelt thank-you to her colleagues just after the show.