A 36-year-old man has been arrested as a part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged plot to kidnap British TV presenter Holly Willoughby.
The accused, Gavin Plumb, has been charged with “soliciting to commit homicide, incitement to commit rape, and incitement to commit kidnap.” He’ll seem in court docket at present.
Willoughby didn’t seem on Thursday’s version of her daytime ITV present This Morning. The presenter is alleged to have been below police safety at her house on Thursday night time.
Essex Police mentioned the suspect was arrested on Wednesday and is presently in custody. A number of media experiences state the 36-year-old isn’t identified to Willoughby. It’s nonetheless unclear how police grew to become conscious of the alleged kidnap plot, however The Solar newspaper first reported {that a} cell phone and different digital gadgets have been seized through the arrest.
The Solar’s report states that police alerted This Morning producers to the plot early Thursday morning, and Willoughby was knowledgeable “shortly” earlier than she was due on air.
In an announcement, detective superintendent Rob Kirby mentioned: “This was an especially fast-paced investigation, with a lot of our officers and nationwide companions working in a single day to safe these prices. The safeguarding of any sufferer is paramount and we’ll proceed to prioritize this and dealing with the Metropolitan Police Service because the investigation proceeds.”
The incident comes after a turbulent few months for Willoughby, who has introduced This Morning since 2009. She was engulfed within the scandal surrounding her former co-star Phillip Schofield, who admitted to an “unwise however not unlawful” sexual relationship with a youthful male worker.
In her first on-air feedback concerning the scandal on This Morning, Willougby mentioned she had been “shaken, troubled, let down” by Schofield.
She added: “Apprehensive for the wellbeing of individuals on all sides of what’s been happening and stuffed with questions. You, me, and all of us that This Morning gave our love and help to somebody who was not telling the reality, who acted in a manner that they themselves felt like they needed to resign from ITV and step down from a profession that they liked. That could be a lot to course of and it’s equally exhausting to see the toll that it’s taken on their very own psychological well being.
