Holly Willoughby battles new fears as she reflects on painfully days

Holly Willoughby faced new pressure as rumours grew that she might join Strictly Come Dancing as a host after Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced they were leaving.

As buzz increased, insiders said Holly felt stressed and looked to her close friends for support.

A source shared that her friends helped her through many hard moments in the past few years and were now standing by her again.

The Strictly buzz became heavy for her and she found it difficult to handle at times. However, her friends encouraged her to stay strong and reminded her this could turn into something good.

Leigh Francis, who known her since their Celebrity Juice days, cheered her up by sending a funny and caring voice note. She kept it on her phone because it made her smile.

Emma Bunton, the Appleton sisters and Christine Lampard also reached out to comfort her.

The insider explained that Holly relied on her husband Dan Baldwin and her children Harry, Belle and Chester.

They helped her through what she called dark and difficult times. She faced a lot in recent years, as her friendship with Phillip Schofield ended after his affair became public.

Months later, the reality star stepped away from This Morning after being targeted in a frightening kidnap and murder plot.

She also lost long running shows and dealt with criticism from the public.

With the Strictly role now hanging in the air, Holly recently said she was enjoying watching the show from home.

Insiders said she appeared calm on screen but often felt lonely and vulnerable behind the scenes.

Even so, Holly wanted the coming year to bring a fresh start and believed that she could handle the challenge, explaining that she often performed her best when pressure was highest.