KATIE HIND: Why smitten ITV bosses think they have found the next Holly Willoughby

Towards the end of the long, hot summer of 2009, I came across Holly Willoughby in a rather unlikely place.

At the time, the future star of daytime television was far from a household name. She was only 28 and still wore her hair in long blonde curls instead of the shorter locks she prefers today. Nor was she dressed from head to toe in her now signature designer dresses.

This more informal style perhaps explains why, when we met in the ladies’ queue at the now-defunct V music festival in Chelmsford, Essex, Holly was surprisingly candid: she revealed that she ‘nearly fainted’ when she was presented with the invitation offered. chance to present Britain’s most talked-about breakfast show alongside experienced broadcaster Phillip Schofield.

She also admitted that she was still “in shock” and that she “didn’t see it coming.”

There’s no doubt it was a huge promotion: apart from an appearance on children’s TV, presenting The X-tra Factor (a spin-off of Simon Cowell’s hit The X Factor) and a few series of Dancing On Ice besides Schofield, she had little broadcasting experience.

Eight days after we met, Holly took her place next to Schofield – and the rest, as they say, is history.

My memory of meeting her all those years ago came flooding back to me on Monday this week, when I turned on my TV – and did a double take.

ITV bosses are desperate to find a successor to Holly Willoughby as the show’s presenter

There on ITV’s flagship daytime show was new presenter Sian Welby, gently stepping into Holly’s LK Bennett shoes for the first episode of a four-day ‘trial’ period at the helm of This Morning.

Dressed in a £120 denim jumpsuit from high street retailer And Other Stories, and smiling from ear to ear, Sian humbly introduced herself – and it was almost as if Holly was back.

In her accessible Midlands accent, Sian – who looks much younger than her 37 years – shared a deeply personal story about her father suffering from dementia, as co-host Dermot O’Leary (a big fan, I’m told) looked on. pride.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, viewers called the rising star “a breath of fresh air” who “makes the show so much fun to watch.”

And behind the scenes, the upper echelons of ITV were just as enthusiastic – Martin Frizell, the editor of This Morning and the Svengali of daytime television, were especially smitten.

A show insider later told me I wasn’t alone, saying: ‘Sian reminds us all of early Holly. She was completely relatable and sweet. No airs and graces.’

This makes her a big relief to ITV bosses, who finally have something to laugh about almost four months after embattled Holly sensationally quit this morning amid an alleged plot to kidnap and murder her.

Viewers said Ms Welby, 37, was ‘a breath of fresh air’ who ‘makes the show so much fun to watch’

It has been a torrid year for Frizell and his lesser-known boss, ITV Daytime Managing Director Emma Gormley. Last March the show was thrown into turmoil when Holly and Phil, once best friends, had a spectacular row.

After quitting the show in May last year, Schofield admitted to having an “ill-advised but not illegal” affair with a male colleague decades younger than him – and, worse, lying about it.

Ultimately, Holly herself left last October, putting the future of This Morning in jeopardy.

Dressed in a £120 denim jumpsuit from high street retailer And Other Stories, the new host smiled from ear to ear as she introduced herself

Mrs Willoughby in her early days presenting This Morning in 2011

I’m told that ITV executives had for a time hoped to tempt Cat Deeley, 47, to the bank, but her commitments in America – she is the star of the popular talent show So You Think You Can Dance – were paid off. that, although some at ITV remain in Deeley’s camp.

Now many at the network have concluded that it would be better to sign Sian and let her make the show her own.

Although ITV bosses rate O’Leary as a seasoned presenter for Friday’s show, I’m told they hope to sign Ben Shephard for the more coveted Monday-Thursday spot once occupied by the disgraced Schofield. If 49-year-old Shephard agrees, it would be like 2009 all over again.

When we met in that row years ago, young Holly said to me breathlessly, “There were so many other talented presenters on the roster, I never thought I’d have a chance!”

Words that Sian would probably echo today – with a bright future awaiting her.