Holly Willoughby reveals she suffered from ‘imposter syndrome’ during the early years of her career

‘I never thought I was good enough’: Holly Willoughby reveals she suffered from ‘imposter syndrome’ during the early years of her career after being told she couldn’t handle political segments on This Morning

Holly Willoughby suffered from ‘imposter syndrome’ during the early years of her presenting career – after being told by critics that she couldn’t handle political segments on This Morning.

The TV favourite, 41, who’s been at the helm of the ITV show alongside Phillip Schofield, 60, since 2009, admitted ‘I will not and will never be perfect as a presenter’ but says she’s finally learned to ‘trust herself.’

Speaking to the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine, ahead of its relaunch on Saturday, the mother-of-three reflected on her worst TV moment, confessing she was out of her depth during an interview with then Prime Minister Gordon Brown, which she claims was ‘awful.’ 

 ‘I underestimated myself’: Holly Willoughby suffered from ‘imposter syndrome’ during the early years of her presenting career – after being told by critics that she couldn’t handle political segments on This Morning

She told Weekend Magazine: ‘In my twenties and thirties I felt incredibly grateful I was given presenting jobs in TV.

‘I never really thought I was good enough, I felt lucky people liked me. I had massive imposter syndrome and yes, I was underestimated but, more importantly, I underestimated myself.’

Holly’s confidence was rocked after critics claimed that she could only handle the ‘fluffy fashion pieces’ on This Morning – but she was determined to prove them wrong.

She was thrown in at the deep end in 2009, just two months after joining the daytime show, when Gordon Brown was a guest but admits: ‘I wasn’t up to the job.’

She said: ‘I was dreadful. The worst thing was that so many people in the industry had said I couldn’t do that job. I wanted to prove myself. I sat with the producers, discussing it for ages.

'Being myself works': The TV favourite, who's been at the helm of the ITV show alongside Phillip Schofield, since 2009, admitted 'I will not and will never be perfect as a presenter' but says she's finally learned to 'trust herself'

‘Being myself works’: The TV favourite, who’s been at the helm of the ITV show alongside Phillip Schofield, since 2009, admitted ‘I will not and will never be perfect as a presenter’ but says she’s finally learned to ‘trust herself’

‘Then when it came to the interview, I was trying to read out questions from the script. I was saying words I didn’t even understand, mangling up sentences and completely floundering. I was awful.

‘Various critics had said, “She’ll be OK with the fluffy fashion pieces but how will she do a serious political interview?” And they were right. Presenting that show is about being able to do everything from light to serious. I wasn’t up to the job.’

Thirteen years on from the Gordon Brown interview, Holly says she tries to be less critical and has accepted while she will never be ‘perfect’, being herself on TV is the secret to her success.

'I was dreadful': The mother-of-three reflected on her worst TV moment, confessing she was out of her depth during an interview with then Prime Minister Gordon Brown, which she claims was 'awful' (pictured in November 2009)

‘I was dreadful’: The mother-of-three reflected on her worst TV moment, confessing she was out of her depth during an interview with then Prime Minister Gordon Brown, which she claims was ‘awful’ (pictured in November 2009) 

She added: ‘I am not and will never be perfect as a presenter. I don’t try to be perfect anymore because it really doesn’t matter.

‘I listen to the production team but I’ll then ask the questions I want to ask, things I think are important.

‘Even if I don’t things exactly right or words still come out wrong – because I’m dyslexic – people understand where I’m coming from. They get me.

‘That’s given me confidence, changed my life and me. The biggest lesson I’ve learnt is that being myself works. I have to trust in myself.’

  • The full interview with Holly Willoughby in Weekend Magazine is available this Saturday with the Daily Mail
'I have to trust in myself': Thirteen years on from the Gordon Brown interview, Holly says she tries to be less critical and has accepted while she will never be 'perfect', being herself on TV is the secret to her success (pictured in March 2022)

‘I have to trust in myself’: Thirteen years on from the Gordon Brown interview, Holly says she tries to be less critical and has accepted while she will never be ‘perfect’, being herself on TV is the secret to her success (pictured in March 2022) 

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