Holly Willoughby 'is no longer in the running to host Strictly' as her wellness firm Wylde Moon flounders following her Influencer rebrand

Holly Willoughby is said to no longer be in the running to present Strictly Come Dancing, after she 'rebranded as an influencer'. 

ITV's former golden girl, 44, was once linked to the hottest job in telly after Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly announced their departure last year.

It would have marked her biggest TV comeback in a bid to steal back her crown following the many scandals that surrounded her.

Her Gwyneth Paltrow-style lifestyle and wellness business Wylde Moon has also been suffering following the scandals.

Holly has largely been off our screens since she left This Morning in October 2023 after she was told a former security guard had planned to kidnap, rape and murder her. 

The sickening crime came just months after she fell out with co-presenter and friend, Phillip Schofield.

And it's been claimed that BBC bosses were reportedly 'not so keen' on the prospect of Holly fronting Strictly.

An industry insider told The Sun: 'There was much talk about Holly joining the show. Many think she is brilliant and more than deserving of the role, but the truth is some execs were also fearful.

'She may be squeaky clean, but she will always have that association with Phillip, and god only knows what he would come out with if she got the job. That is the last thing the BBC needs.'

'Strictly has had enough scandal in recent years, and ruling out Holly avoids any unnecessary drama.'

Daily Mail has contacted Strictly and Holly Willoughby's representatives for comment. 

Part of her big plan to steal back her TV crown has seen her 'rebrand as an influencer' to her 8.1million Instagram followers, trying her hand at viral social media challenges, brand deals and keeping up to date with sharing candid snaps. 

Holly's influencer era ties in perfectly with her lifestyle and wellness brand Wylde Moon.

Almost five years after its launch, it can be revealed that the business has dropped its jewellery line, and its podcast, and also seems to have parted company with its hair, beauty, style and energy editors. 

In a filing to Companies House last week, Wylde Moon listed just two employees – understood to be Holly and her sister Kelly.

When it launched in 2021, it said it had a team of 14, and many contributors were listed on the website. No contributors are listed or credited any more.

On Tuesday, Holly posted a video of herself and her sister enjoying a 'Wylde Moon away day' at a spa in Sussex. 

Holly wrote: 'We drank the sacred cacao to open our hearts, selected oracle cards for guidance and crafted reed dollies as blessings of renewal and protection.'

Also present was Holly's long-time clothes stylist and friend Patsy O'Neill.

Accounts for the year to October 2024 show that Wylde Moon is not enjoying Goop-style expansion. 

Net assets are noted as £4,831 – up from £1,885 the previous year. But the company owes £733,485 to creditors – up from £583,748 the previous year.

Among the creditors is HMRC, with a £67,262 liability for Corporation Tax. That would indicate it had made a taxable profit of around £250,000.

The focus of Wylde Moon seems to have narrowed, and there are no longer monthly posts about fashion, beauty or hair. Instead, it's chiefly about well-being and astrology.

It continues to sell candles (£40 for a single-wick scented version), wax melts (£11), perfume (£42 for Holly's 'signature Eau de Parfum') and reed diffusers (£45) – as well as Holly's book Reflections ('life lessons' in finding beauty), which came out in 2021. 

Holly frequently posts on Instagram to promote money-off deals for the business.

Back in 2018, she had been due to launch a lifestyle brand, Truly, with Dragons' Den star Peter Jones, but pulled out with just a few weeks to go.

At the time, Holly said: 'To launch a brand needs total dedication and at the moment this is not something I feel I can do without it starting to affect my family time at home.'

Jones and his interior designer partner Tara Capp, 48, went ahead anyway with the online shop.

Truly, which sells everything from cushions to clothes, is now stocked in John Lewis and via Next.

Holly has appeared in Netflix show Bear Hunt since leaving This Morning but it was not re-commissioned. She continues to be represented by her own company, Roxy Management, seemingly its only client.

She was one of the highest-paid presenters when on This Morning, alongside Phillip Schofield, with both on a reported £730,000 a year.