Holly Willoughby finally staged her return to ‘This Morning’, as the ITV daytime show underwent a huge overhaul on Tuesday (1 September).
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The presenter has been on maternity leave for the past 11 months, after giving birth to her third child Chester, and was reunited with co-host Phillip Schofield as she returned to work.
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on 'This Morning'
"I've got a really nervous belly," Holly admitted. "It's fine. It's like coming home, it's lovely. It's nice to be here," she told viewers, as she and Phil joked that they’d not had the money to refurbish the show’s studio as promised.
However, it was then revealed that the duo were stood in front of a green-screen showing the studio in the middle of renovations, before it was dropped to reveal the sparkling new set.
The 'This Morning' set has had a massive overhaul
Holly and Phil then introduced viewers to the different areas of their new TV playground, where she took the opportunity to test out the show’s new sofa by lying down on it.
"It feels so much bigger. It's the same studio, it feels like we've got more space," Holly said.
Holly tested out the show's new sofa
The duo took a tour of the new studio
She then caught up with the show’s resident experts including agony aunt Denise Robertson, and showbiz correspondent Rylan Clark, before sitting down for a proper chat with Phil about her year off.
Holly caught up with the team of resident experts
“It’s been incredible, I’m really glad I did it. It’s a big decision to take a whole year off away from somewhere,” she explained.
Holly added that the latest addition to her young family had a surprising effect on her other children, Harry, six and four-year-old Belle.
“I find it makes Harry and Belle better because they’ve grown up a bit,” she said, adding that they had been helping her with their baby brother.
Holly and Phil have spent a year apart
As well as a new set, the first episode of the new series also saw the show receive new opening titles, theme music and logo, in a bid to refresh the long-running show, with turns 27 next month.
There was also a brand new addition to the team, in the shape of a guide dog puppy.
Viewers also have been invited to chose a name for the 11-week-old Labrador, who will be part of the show’s family for the next year, while training to help the blind.
A new puppy has joined the team
Viewers will be able to name the new addition
Amanda Holden had been standing in for Holly, but said her goodbyes to the show in July, as Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes took reigns over the summer.
Phillip previously revealed that he found presenting the show with the ‘Britain's Got Talent’ judge “quite scary”, as he was always worried about her inappropriate comments.
“She kept me on my toes,” he told Heat magazine. “She has a faulty edit button and she forgets she’s on the telly, which is enormously endearing and funny, but occasionally quite scary.
“The great thing is she comes out with things. I’d look at her and think, ‘I can’t believe you’ve just said that.’ Even I wouldn’t say what she says sometimes and I often have one foot over the line. Sometimes nearly two.”
'This Morning' airs weekdays at 10.30am on ITV.
