Holly Willoughby has announced she has quit Celebrity Juice after 12 years.
The This Morning presenter has been a team captain on the Keith Lemon-fronted
comedy panel show since its inception in 2008.
However, Holly has confirmed she will be handing over her role to a newcomer. Posting a compilation of images of her time on the ITV2 series on
Instagram, she wrote: “All good things must come to an end and nothing lasts forever. It’s time for me to hand over my team captain seat to some lucky, lucky person.”
She continued: “Thank you @celebjuiceofficial for 12 years of fantastic chaos. I can’t quite believe what we’ve done and how quick that time has gone.
“Thank you to you all for watching. We’ve always had the loudest and best audiences. Also a huge thank you to @itv2 for believing in the show in the first place and for all of your support.
“Over the years the production team has changed, however to anyone lucky enough to have worked on the show, they will know that we really do have the best time, it’s never felt like work and always been to me like a night out. Thank you for all your ingenious ideas and hard work.” View this post on InstagramA post shared by Holly Willoughby (@hollywilloughby) on May 3, 2020 at 1:22am PDTHolly told her yet-to-be-announced replacement that they would be getting “one of the best jobs in telly working with one of comedy’s finest”, host Keith Lemon.
Paying tribute to Keith – the character played by comedian Leigh Francis – she continued: “I remember starting this journey with you and saying ‘I think this might work’. My goodness me it did. Three
Friends, you, me and @fearnecotton and that is what is at the heart of it.. friendship.
“I love the bones of you Lemon! Thank you for making me laugh for twelve years. I’ll be back as a guest and just to make sure someone is keeping you in check.
“If I don’t see you through a week or next week or the week after, know you are always in my heart.”Fellow original team captain Fearne Cotton quit the show in 2018 and was replaced by Paddy McGuinness for one series. He was later replaced by Spice Girl Mel B.
Holly, Mel and Keith are currently filming episodes of Celebrity Juice in lockdown, after
Coronavirus halted production on the series back in March. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Celebrity Juice (@celebjuiceofficial) on Apr 30, 2020 at 6:26am PDTPrior to Holly’s announcement, Keith had paid tribute to her on Instagram, calling her an “incredible sport” and “one of the boys but all woman”. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Keith Lemon (@keithlemon) on May 2, 2020 at 1:25am PDTHe wrote: “Love this woman. What an incredible sport. Always willing to get her hands dirty and join in. One of the boys but all woman. A wicked sense of humour and very easy to look at. Don’t look into her eyes though, cos she can make you do anything.
“What a lady! King of the ladies! The
Queen of the milk beasts! The one and only @hollywilloughby face of an angel but can have the potty mouth of... well me I guess.
“Super rad! Super nice! My mate! I salute all your wonderfulness. Massive hugs x.”
Celebrity Juice airs Thursdays at 10pm on ITV2. READ MORE: This Morning Cooking Segment Narrowly Avoids Disaster After John Torode Starts Kitchen Fire Holly Willoughby Is Victim Of Hilarious Prank By Bradley Walsh During Chaotic This Morning Phone-In Holly And Phillip Struggle To Keep A Straight Face During 'Bizarre' Easter Bunny Debate On This Morning