Holly Willoughby breaks silence on This Morning's historic NTA loss

6 Sep 2023

Holly Willoughby has spoken out about her night at the 28th National Television Awards after This Morning went home empty-handed.

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This year marks a historic loss for the show as it's the first time This Morning has failed to win the Best Daytime award (or its equivalent predecessor) in 13 years.

The ITV show had some stiff competition in the category and as a result was beaten by The Repair Shop.

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Related: Ant and Dec respond to Gogglebox beating them for NTAs 2023 Entertainment Award

Speaking on Wednesday’s (September 6) episode of This Morning, Willoughby graciously congratulated The Repair Shop host Jay Blades on the win.

"A special squeeze and lots of love to [Jay]," she said. "He ran over to us and gave us all a big cuddle which I just thought was class and gorgeous.

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"I actually didn’t want to let go. Gives good hugs Jay Blades."

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Related: Why Love Island's Maya Jama missed the NTAs 2023 red carpet

After congratulating The Repair Shop, Willoughby went on to thank the This Morning viewers for their support.

"A massive thank you as well just for voting for us and getting us through to the shortlist," she remarked. "If you look at that, you’ve got The Chase, you’ve got Loose Women, you’ve got The Repair Shop, and you’ve got us.

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"So just to make it to there was just so wonderful. So, thank you always for your love and support."

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Related: Happy Valley's Sarah Lancashire pays tribute to her Corrie roots after NTAs win

Losing Best Daytime wasn’t the only blow for This Morning as Willoughby was snubbed from this year’s TV Presenter category.

Despite her This Morning co-star Alison Hammond being nominated, the gong ultimately was won by Ant and Dec.

This marks the 22nd year in a row the presenting duo have taken home the NTA for Best TV Presenter.

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The National Television Awards aired live on ITV1 and ITVX.

This Morning airs weekdays on ITV1.

Emma Tinson

Acting News Editor, Digital Spy Emma is an experienced entertainment news journalist with NCTJ accreditation and a First-Class Honours Degree in Journalism. Having started her career as a broadcast journalist, Emma’s voice has been heard on varying radio stations across the UK including Absolute, Magic, BBC Three Counties Radio, LBC London News and more.   Later specialising in multimedia entertainment news, Emma has brushed shoulders with numerous famous faces and interviewed the likes of Edward Norton, Margot Robbie, Sir Michael Palin, Rick Astley, and too many soap stars to count. Having produced a range of engaging news content over the years for brands such as 7Digital’s Entertainment News, Yahoo, and Express Online, Emma eventually joined Digital Spy in 2022 as Deputy News Editor.  While she’s gained lots of praise during celebrity interviews throughout her career, the most memorable compliment Emma’s ever received was when a Game of Thrones star remarked "Your teeth are stunning!".

Holly Willoughby - Figure 5
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