Holly Willoughby

Former This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby has reportedly sold her £6.4 million London home in an attempt to “move on” from a tricky period in her life

Holly Willoughby has reportedly sold the £6.4 million London home she fled after being the target of a horrifying kidnap plot. The former This Morning host, 44, bought the six-bedroom property in Barnes, South West London more than a decade ago but it’s thought that Holly, along with her husband Dan and their children Harry, 16, Belle, 14, and 11-year-old Chester, have already moved out.

It all comes after Holly was at the centre of a horrific case which saw security guard Gavin Plumb plotted to kidnap, rape and murder the TV star, and was he was eventually jailed for life with a minimum term of 16 years.

Holly quit her long-serving role as presenter of This Morning following the ordeal, but her departure also came after another media storm which saw her former co-host Phillip Schofield admit to having an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague, and insiders have said that a change of scene will help her move on from such a tricky time.

READ MORE: How it all went wrong for Holly WilloughbyREAD MORE: Holly Willoughby pleads guilty to knocking man off bike while driving

A source told The Sun : “This will draw a line under a deeply uncomfortable period of Holly’s life, and ensure they can make a fresh start in their new family home.

“Though it’s bittersweet too as it’s where Holly and Dan raised their children too, so it has many happy memories for the couple as well.”

The Mirror has contacted representatives for Holly for comment.

Following his conviction, Plumb was branded a significant danger to women, who caused fear and shock in the former Dancing On Ice presenter.

He then sought to appeal against his sentence at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Reading out the Court of Appeal’s judgment, Justice Edis said that having considered the case with “anxious care”, along with Mr Justice Martin Spencer and Ms Justice Norton, they rejected the appeal.

Refusing the application, Lord Justice Edis told the court that the offences were “so serious” that a life sentence was justified.

“They were horrifying and contained graphic detail of what the applicant proposed to do to Holly Willoughby. They are distressing, even for seasoned professionals, to read.”

He told the court: “That is to say, a long period of time during which a significant number of people were prevailed upon in the hope that they would prospectively, along with the applicant, kidnap, rape and murder Holly Willoughby Plainly that behaviour arose out of an obsession that he had formed with her.”

He added: “It is important to note that the applicant’s personal circumstances would have made it very difficult for him to carry out these offences He appears to have been substantially immobile, perhaps due to obesity.

“He is not in good health, he cannot drive and does not have a car, he does not have access to the sort of property that might serve as a temporary prison during which a kidnap victim could be held, raped and murdered.”

The news of Holly’s supposed house sale comes just hours after it was claimed that the TV favourite had been in talks to take over a presenting role on Strictly Come Dancing following the recent departure of Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, although that is not going to happen now.

A source told The Sun: “There was much talk about Holly joining the show. Many think she is brilliant and more than deserving of the role, but the truth is some execs were also fearful. She may be squeaky clean, but she will always have that association with Phillip.”

If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999

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