Holly Willoughby has been absent from This Morning the first two days of this week.
She made a return to Wednesday’s show, looking the picture of health and happiness in a yellow cold-shoulder top.
But she explained to viewers she’s been pretty unwell.
Joining her old mate and co-host Phillip Schofield, she said: “I am back. I didn’t watch Monday’s show as I was out for the count.
“All I heard was it was funny and brilliant.
“Sorry that I was away. I am much better. 48 hours of grimness. It was weird but it’s gone now.”
The popular presenter also addressed her absence with concerned fans on social media Tuesday night.
During the transmission of her other ITV show Play To The Whistle, she tweeted: “Hope your enjoying #pttw … thank you for all your lovely messages, I’m feeling much better and will be back at @thismorning Tomorrow.”
We’re very pleased to have her back. While we have enjoyed her stand-ins – Rylan Clark-Neal on Monday and Sarah Greene on Tuesday – the show’s just not the same without her.
The mum-of-three was stuck down by a rather unpleasant stomach bug – resulting in her being sick on her poor cat!
The 36-year-old was forced to call in sick just two hours before she was due on air – something of a drama for such a lengthy live TV show.
Phil informed viewers, and teased Rylan’s arrival: “Holly’s not very well today so I’ve been given the most unlikely partner. I can’t wait for this.”
He added: “Get well soon. She text me this morning and said she got up and threw up all over the cat.”
Some of her Twitter followers took this as another excuse to pedal those persistent rumours that she is pregnant again. (She has denied this recently.)
One wrote: “coughs … morning sickness :P.”
Holly didn’t reply to this particular message, probably because she’s bored stupid by all the nonsense speculation.
However, some over-zealous fans are sure to take her silence as some kind of ‘not denying it, therefore…’.
She can’t really win!