Holly Willoughby is now a household name thanks largely to her stint on This Morning – but things could have been very different for the TV star.
Holly Willoughby has fronted the show alongside Phillip Schofield for 12 years, but revealed she almost quit her role on the famous sofa before she even got started.
The 40-year-old admitted that she was "terrified of looking stupid" and that she believed people were questioning why she had got the job.
"When I started, I was terrified," she told The Radio Times.
"I only ever felt comfortable in cookery and fashion – I was so scared of asking important questions for fear of looking stupid.
"I was quite young and I think some people were questioning whether I was the right person for the job."
Holly's revelation comes after she reportedly held "crisis talks" with ITV bosses in February over her future on This Morning amid an ongoing legal battle with her former management company.
Holly's old agency, YMU, are said to be demanding an estimated £200,000 a year from her new contract – despite her cutting ties with them in 2020.
Holly left the company to set up her own firm, Roxy Management, in order to “take back control” of her future, but according to The Sun, YMU claim that under terms of a “sunset clause”, they are still entitled to a percentage of her future earnings.
Holly is said to be willing to pay YMU commissions on jobs arranged while she was with them, but not if those contracts are renewed, according to the publication.
Last month it was claimed that bosses are so desperate not to lose Holly Willoughby, ITV is considering "upping" her salary if her legal fight with YMU "reaches crisis level".
"They are hoping the situation can be amicably resolved. But they have agreed a last-resort plan to up her salary if it was to reach crisis level and they can ill-afford to lose her," The Sun reported, adding: "They have not yet had a conversation with Holly about this and she'd never dream of asking for a raise."
