As Holly Willoughby celebrates new career beginnings, the Mirror looks at her rock-solid marriage to Dan Baldwin – from secret dates to their special ‘marriage pact’

Holly Willoughby has embarked on an exciting new chapter of her career – and husband Dan Baldwin is right by her side to support her.

The 43-year-old, who left her post at This Morning in October 2023, has now headed to the Costa Rican jungle alongside Bear Grylls as the face of the new Netflix survival show, Celebrity Bear Hunt. As part of the new show, viewers have seen 12 celebs including Una Healy, Shirley Ballas and Mel B become prey as they’re hunted down by survival expert Bear and cheered on by Holly.

But while the TV personality may be on hand to provide encouragement to the famous faces, behind the scenes Holly’s doting husband Dan has been a source of support throughout her own career evolution. Having started off working on children’s TV, Holly has worked hard to become a household name.

Here, the Mirror looks at Holly and Dan’s marriage, from his sweet bathtub proposal, to the golden rules they stick to day-to-day…

The couple were friends before things turned romantic(Image: @hollywilloughby/Instagram) 

Dan and Holly first locked eyes while working on the CITV show Ministry of Mayhem, which first aired in 2004 before it was renamed Holly & Stephen’s Saturday Showdown. A close friendship began between the producer and presenter, during a time Holly looks back on fondly as her ‘university years’.

Their romance was a slow burn one, however, and Holly had admitted it took six months of ‘very intense friendship’ before she began fancying her future hubby. Opening up during a previous interview with Woman & Home magazine, Holly confessed: “At first, I didn’t fancy Dan at all – I didn’t even think about it. I don’t think he could have fancied me either because it was such a genuine friendship.”

Then one night changed everything. In a video uploaded to her Wylde Moon Instagram account, Holly shared: “I remember this one night we were in the bar and I cheersed Dan. And I remember my eye just caught him for a little bit longer than it should have done, and I looked at him, and thought, ‘Oh my god, I fancy Dan Baldwin’. It took me by complete surprise, and then the rest is history.”

She added: “Looking back on it now I think what I was thinking was an intense friendship was probably me falling in love. I think that’s a really good basis for romance because we have that friendship still now and we’ve got three beautiful children, and we’re very happy and I’m very blessed every day for having him in my life.

“But underpinning all of that is that real friendship and laughter and just having good times together. I think it’s the real secret to keeping things as they are, which is lovely.”

Secret dates

Holly knew Dan was ‘the one’ early on(Image: @hollywilloughby/Instagram)

They intitially kept their relationship quiet for the first eight months (Image: GC Images)

Even though it took Holly a while to realise her true feelings for Dan, once they began dating, it quickly became clear they were meant for each other. However, they kept things quiet at first, as they worried how others might react.

Holly told Woman & Home: “I knew he was ‘The One’ pretty quickly. But we kept it a secret for eight months because I didn’t want to give anyone a reason to be annoyed with us.”

Dan popped the all-important question while Holly was soaking in the tub(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

In 2006, Dan surprised Holly after proposing to her while she was relaxing in the bathtub – and she happily accepted.

Catching up with the Mirror in 2007, after returning from their honeymoon, Holly revealed: “I know a lot of people almost have to force their boyfriend to propose but with Dan, it was such a shock. I knew I’d be with him for the rest of my life if he’d have me, but nothing can ever prepare you for what it’s like when someone asks you.

“I can’t think of any other big decision you make in your life that quickly. Suddenly they’re not just someone you’re in love with, they become part of your family.”

Fairytale wedding

The couple celebrated their love at the historic Amberley Castle

Holly and Dan tied the knot on August 4, 2007, exchanging vows at St Michael’s Church, before holding their star-studded wedding reception at the breathtaking, 900-year-old Amberley Castle on the South Downs in West Sussex.

McQueen pattern cutter, drawing inspiration from her mum’s long-sleeved ’70s era dress. Looking back at her special day on their 16th anniversary, for a piece published on her Wylde Moon website, Holly recalled: “I had in my head exactly what I wanted, but I couldn’t find it anywhere! I knew I wanted it to be very vintage, lace, with long sleeves, a high neck and a beautiful, open back, as that’s what everyone sees when you walk down the aisle. Oh, and a long train…if you can’t do that on your wedding day when can you?”

Parenthood

Holly and Dan have three children(Image: PA)

They’ve chosen not to put their kids’ faces on Instagram(Image: Ken McKay/ITV / Rex Features)

Proud parents Holly and Dan went on to welcome three children, Harry, Belle, and Chester, and make sure their privacy is respected at all times. On a 2021 episode of This Morning, Holly said: “I choose not to put my children’s faces on Instagram because I know once they’re out there, they’re for public consumption.”

The presenter has however shed some light on what life is like behind the doors of their family home as her growing brood reaches different milestones. Opening up during a 2022 interview with the Manchester Evening News, Holly shared: “My oldest is 13 now and the relationship changes hugely. You know, they sit at the table with you and you are talking about things that aren’t just about what they got up to at school that day, it’s about how they view and see the world and I’m really enjoying it.

“I’m enjoying this phase and seeing all those things that you put in place throughout their early childhood years, suddenly blooming and I can’t wait for more of that and just being a bit of a spectator with a helping hand!”

Second honeymoon

In 2017, they marked their 10 year anniversary in style(Image: Internet Unknown)

In 2017, Holly and Dan appeared just as loved up as they were as newlyweds as they jetted off on their second honeymoon. After returning to the This Morning studio from their ‘magical’ holiday in Cannes, Holly told viewers: “Dan and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We had our first week away without the children – a couple’s holiday – it was the first time since our honeymoon. And it was amazing. It was nice to have just us and have that time, it was just magical.”

Snaps from the dreamy trip show Dan and Holly leaping off a yacht into the ocean, as well as relaxing together on deck, looking the very picture of marital bliss.

Golden marriage rules

The couple’s love has stood the test of time – but they’ve had to work for it(Image: Getty Images)

Holly has previously divulged her marital pearls of wisdom(Image: GC Images)

No marriage is easy, and Holly has previously spoken about the golden rules she and Dan make sure to stick to, from managing compromise to keeping the romantic spark alive.

During a chat with Wylde Moon, Holly emphasised the importance continuing to put in the effort, explaining: “By effort, I’m not talking about looking nice for your husband, I’m talking about carving out time in your lives for each other. If you can’t have a date night, then make sure you sit around the table and eat together, have a glass of something and talk through your day.

“It’s so easy to live under the same roof and experience the same life but in parallel lanes rather than together. Sometimes you forget to look up and really see each other. ‘Oh there you are… there you actually are’. If you continue to put as much energy into your marriage as you do all the other relationships you have in life, you’ll not go far wrong.”

In another interview with The Telegraph’s Stella magazine, Holly spoke of the importance of knowing when to make sacrifices for the relationship, revealing how she’d given up former lifestyle brand Truly in order to put ‘family first’.

Holly asserted: “You cannot have it all. Truly was something I was very passionate about, but my husband has a really high-pressured, busy job and I have three kids and other projects. My son Harry has really got into football and I want to be able to take him there so he can do what he loves.”

Adding that it would be ‘the end of [her] world’ if the marriage broke down, Holly continued: “I didn’t want to be in a position where I was working in the evenings and couldn’t be with them. It’s not just about me having my dream and everyone fitting round it, it’s about putting family first and making that choice. So in the end it was very clear, I just had to pull back and say: ‘No’.”

Marriage pact

As Holly looks ahead to new opportunities, she and Dan will be honouring their ‘marriage pact’

As Holly looks ahead to a new career direction, it looks as though she won’t be involved in Dan’s rumoured reboot of iconic Cilla Black dating show Blind Date. A source told new! magazine: “When Holly’s husband Dan admitted he wants to do a Blind Date remake, everyone thought it would be Holly fronting the show. But the fact that he has eyed up Claudia Winkleman for it just goes to show that Holly is really trying to distance herself from the TV she’s been associated with for so long.

“In the past, she’d have jumped at the chance to do an iconic TV show like that. Dan knows she would be perfect, but they have decided that she needs to take a step away from the mainstream shows for a bit and concentrate on her re-brand. It’s their marriage pact.”