Katherine also recently appeared on Holly’s new show
Katherine Ryan has leapt to Holly Willoughby’s defence. The comedian believes the presenter has been unfairly blamed for the actions of men around her.
Katherine, 43, made the comments after appearing on Holly’s new YouTube series, Together. The show promises viewers a “home for real conversations.”
It has reportedly struggled to find a big audience so far. The Canadian star believes there’s more behind the muted response than viewers simply having too much to watch.
Katherine Ryan says Holly Willoughby was blamed for the actions of men
Katherine went further, arguing misogyny has played a part in Holly becoming linked to controversies involving men around her.
“I think what happens is we get blamed for the actions of men,” Katherine said.
Katherine singled out Phillip Schofield, who left ITV in 2023. He admitted lying about an affair with a younger male colleague. Holly had said she was hurt on discovering Phillip had lied to her about the relationship. Yet she still found herself dragged into the fallout.
“Was she having an illicit relationship with a junior male colleague or was the man doing that? Was she lying to her wife about the state of the relationship or was it a man?” Katherine said.
Katherine Ryan called Phillip Schofield a ‘creep’
Katherine also pointed to the 2022 “queue-gate” controversy.
Holly, 45, and her then This Morning co-host Phillip faced fierce criticism at the time. The pair were accused of skipping the public queue to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state.
Both presenters denied jumping the queue. ITV insisted they had attended Westminster Hall in a professional capacity to film a segment for the show.
She suggested viewers underestimate how little control a famous face can have over such logistics.
“I think she’s getting a hard time because she might have jumped the queue to see the deceased queen with someone who turned out to be a bit of a creep,” Katherine told the Daily Mail.
“People don’t realise this, sometimes in a public situation, someone with that much profile gets whisked away and they don’t even know what’s happening.”
Holly Willoughby’s kidnap plot and This Morning exit
Katherine also raised the kidnap and murder plot against Holly, uncovered in 2023. Security guard Gavin Plumb was convicted the following year. He had plotted to kidnap, rape and murder the presenter. Gavin was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The case had a profound effect on Holly. She stepped away from This Morning in October 2023 after 14 years on the programme.
“And then this guy tried to kill her,” Katherine said. “So I think she’s been associated with something she didn’t do and traumatised by men.”
Holly’s career has taken a different shape since leaving This Morning. She has since fronted Dancing On Ice and Netflix’s Celebrity Bear Hunt.
Her latest project, Together, launched on YouTube last month. The series offers what she has billed as space for genuine conversation. Early audience figures have reportedly been modest so far.
