Holly Willoughby ‘isn’t in a good place’, according to close pal and Celebrity Juice co-star Leigh Francis as he reveals he texts the presenter often amid frightening kidnap plot

Holly Willoughby ‘is not in a good place’ after being the target of an alleged kidnapping scheme, according to her boyfriend Leigh Francis.

Leigh – who is best known for his alter ego Keith Lemon – became close friends with Holly during her 12-year stint on Celebrity Juice.

The comedian said the TV presenter is going through a ‘tough time’, according to the Sunday People.

He explained: “I don’t think she’s in a good place. She’s having a hard time.’

Speaking at the launch of We Free Women, Leigh, 55, added that he often texts the former This Morning presenter in an attempt to cheer her up.

Frightening: Holly left this October morning ‘for the sake of her family’ after discovering she was the target of a kidnapping plot

He said, ‘I just text her? I don’t ask how she is, but I send her a few messages to cheer her up.

“I just say, ‘I hope you’re doing well,’ and tell her about the things I bought.” Like, “I just blew my money on a pair of Spider-Man Crocs, Holly? Do you like them?”

He added that he ‘don’t know’ whether she will return as host of Dancing On Ice in January – after she was still considered the bookmakers’ favorite to host the skating show.

Holly left Celebrity Juice in 2020, leaving Leigh as the only original member of the line-up after Fearne Cotton quit in 2018.

After her departure, Keith admitted that he too almost left the show – a testament to their close bond.

He told The sun at the time: ‘I was very sad and realized that I was going to miss her. I’m devastated, she looked like my TV sister.

‘She’s always welcome back. I’ll miss her quite a bit.’

And in April they showed their friendship was still as strong as ever when Holly dressed up as Barbie for his 50th birthday party.

Line-up: Holly (left) and Leigh (second from left) became close friends during her 12-year stint on Celebrity Juice

Gavin Plumb, 36, has pleaded not guilty to charges of incitement to murder and incitement to kidnap of the former This Morning presenter.

However, in September he told MailOnline that he had not seen his friend since his birthday party.

He said: ‘The last time I saw Holly was on my birthday. I haven’t seen her since all that TV drama.

‘April was the last time I saw her in real life. During all the TV drama, I’m texting people and asking, ‘Are you okay?’.”

He said he contacted both Holly and Phillip as the This Morning hosting drama began to unfold – amid rumors of a feud between the two.

This Morning has had its fair share of guest presenters since Holly left the show in October.

They auditioned live on air, with the likes of Cat Deeley and Rylan Clark taking to the morning show – and even Sarah Ferguson was set to appear on the famous sofas.

Mum-of-three Holly, who originally joined the This Morning team in 2009, left the show last month ‘for the sake of her family’ after discovering she was the target of an alleged kidnap and murder plot.

Gavin Plumb, 36, has pleaded not guilty to charges of incitement to murder and incitement to kidnap of the former This Morning presenter.

This week it was confirmed that the security guard will remain behind bars after being refused bail.

At a brief hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday, Plumb, 36, from Harlow, Essex, who was not present, was refused a bail application.

He has set a trial date for June 24 next year.

It came five months after Phillip Schofield’s departure after his affair with a young male showrunner was made public, followed by claims of an increasingly strained relationship with his co-host.

Family: Holly lives in her London home with her husband Daniel Baldwin, 49, (pictured in 2016) and their three children: Harry, 14, Belle, 12, and Chester, eight

Holly was pulled from presenting the ITV show in October, just before it went on air, after police alerted bosses to the alleged plot.

Just hours earlier, she shared a candid post on her Wylde Moon blog about dealing with anxiety.

The post said: ‘If you or someone you love suffers from anxiety, you know how difficult it can be to cope. You’re not alone,” followed by a link to tips and advice from Louise Chunn, founder of WellDoing.org.

Holly lives in her London home with her husband Daniel Baldwin, 49, and their three children: Harry, 14, Belle, 12, and Chester, eight.

She remained under police guard in her home after news of the plot emerged.

The criminal proceedings would have left Holly – once the golden girl of British television – in limbo.

“Holly’s life couldn’t be more different to what it was a year ago and it has taken some adjustment,” said a friend.

‘There was a time when she was running around being a busy mother of three, but now she has a lot more time to spend with her family and get away from the cameras.

Revelation: Holly shared a candid post about dealing with anxiety just hours before claims emerged of a plot to kidnap her

“She’s much more of a homebody at the moment and who knows when that will change?”

It’s a well-deserved rest for Holly, who was so busy a few years ago that she quit running a lifestyle brand with her boyfriend and Dragons’ Den star Peter Jones so she could spend time with her family.

But now she is faced with making one of the biggest decisions of her working life – if and when she returns to television after quitting the This Morning bench last month after 14 years.

She will return in January as presenter of ITV’s Sunday evening show Dancing on Ice, which she previously co-hosted with her former boyfriend Phillip.

It is her only commitment following her departure from This Morning and despite the BBC desperate to pry her away from ITV, there are no plans in the pipeline.

Sources at ITV say they are giving her ‘space and time’ to decide what she wants to do, while friends suggest it could be some time before she makes a comeback.