Holly Willoughby has been blessing our television screens for nearly twenty years. She is mostly known for hosting several well-known TV shows such as This Morning, which she co-hosted with Phillip Schofield from 2009 up until 2023 when he quit, as well as Dancing On Ice. From 2008 to 2020, she also led the team for ITV2's Celebrity Juice.
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However, she seems to keep her private life away from the public eye, which includes her discreet sister Kelly.
Who is Kelly Willoughby?
Holly Willoughby is extremely close to her older sister, Kelly. The TV host's sister, who is only two and half years older, has been married to her husband David Foster for more than ten years, and the couple shares an eleven-year-old daughter together, named Lola.
Kelly Willoughby, also known as Kelly Foster, regularly shares intimate snapshots of the family together, along with Holly Willoughby's three children, Harry, Belle and Chester, which she shares with husband and TV producer Daniel Baldwin. Kelly Willoughby's account also shows how close both sisters are to their mother, Lynn.
Part of a close-knit family, Kelly remains a highly supportive figure for her younger sister. In 2021, when Holly Willoughby released her memoirs entitled Reflections, she wrote on her Instagram account:
Yes...you are my sister...yes there isn't a moment we haven't lived through together, laughed about together and cried about together, but to read this book that you have poured your heart and soul into, just reinforces how much I love you.
The relationship between the sisters have stayed steadfast over the years. Case in point, they even bought a house together in Putney, South West London. When they stayed together, Holly and Kelly completed each other, despite their very different personalities. Holly Willoughby explained:
You would expect some fireworks, but because we have the same friends and different roles within that group, none of that ever came into it. I’m more likely to be the one to say ‘everyone back to mine’ and cook for everyone, whereas she’s much better at tidying up.
Kelly Willoughby, who seems to be the most organised one out of the two sisters, even tidies up her sister's handbag when she comes over to her £3 million home in West Sussex. Holly Willoughby told The Sun in 2014:
She walks into my house and empties my handbag out for me, without being asked. She takes everything out and sorts out my receipts. I’m happy for her to do it, because afterwards it feels like a brand new handbag.
Holly and Kelly work together
The two sisters are not only partners in their personal lives, but also professionally.
Indeed, Holly and Kelly Willoughby have worked on several projects together over the years. In 2021, the ITV presenter launched her own wellness brand, named Wylde Moon. For that special occasion, she hired her older sister Kelly in her company. Holly Willoughby appointed her sister as managing director of the brand.
This is not the first time both sisters have worked together. In 2013, they wrote the first instalment of their children's book series, entitled School of Stars. So far, they wrote eight books for the series together. The story follows twin sisters Molly and Maria, as well as their friend Pippa on their journey to becoming international stars. Kelly Willoughby told The Sun:
Molly is most definitely based on Holly, even in terms of colourings. She’s blonde. Then Maria’s dark and the brainy one.
Kelly is Holly's trusted confidante
According to The Sun, Holly Willoughby also regularly praises her sister for being her trusted confidante, and a steady shoulder to cry on in times of need. She once explained:
We’re more like friends than sisters. She was always the one I looked up to.
The siblings grew up in Brighton with their parents Brian and Linda, also known as Lynn. They have reportedly always been super close, even as children. Speaking in a joint interview with The Sun in 2014, Holly Willoughby explained:
She’d be on her way out the house with friends and I’d stand at the door and say: ‘Can I come with you?' Most sisters would say: ‘No, I refuse to babysit you while I’m out.’ But she always allowed me to come along.
Despite their undeniable bond, Holly and Kelly Willoughby are also very different. Kelly explained during the same joint interview that they were 'like chalk and cheese'. She said:
I’m organised and regimented, Holly is messy. We excelled at different things at school. She loved drama and was really good at art. I loved English. Even to look at we’re polar opposites. She’s blonde and I’m dark.
Read more:
Holly Willoughby: An insider reveals a new alleged deal with Netflix could make her a global star
Schofield's scandal, death threats: Here's how it all became too much for Holly Willoughby
Sources used:
OK!: Inside Holly Willoughby’s relationship with sister Kelly who is branded her ‘twin’
The Sun: SISTER ACT Inside Holly Willoughby’s £12m empire and how her little known sister Kelly has helped her forge it like other A-listers
Mirror: Holly Willoughby delights fans as she shares super cute childhood throwback with sister
Daily Mail: Holly Willoughby is all smiles as she joins sister Kelly partying at a wedding in Turkey... as This Morning miss out on NTA win for first time in 12 years
