A 36-year-old man has been charged with plotting to kidnap and murder Holly Willoughby, Essex Police said.
Gavin Plumb, a shopping centre security officer, has been charged with offences including soliciting to commit murder and incitement to commit kidnap.
Willoughby, who presents This Morning, pulled out of the ITV show on Thursday and her London home is reportedly being guarded by police.
Mr Plumb, from Harlow, in Essex, faces charges of soliciting a man named David Nelson to commit murder, and incitement to commit kidnap between 2 and 5 October.
The charges indicate that he is accused of planning to make a “kidnap and restraint kit” to carry out the alleged offences.
He also allegedly conspired online with another man and created a “detailed plan” to carry out the offences, the court heard. The other man is due to arrive in the UK from the US next week.
Mr Plumb appeared in the dock at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court in a green T-shirt with the slogan “Aged to Perfection” on Friday, where he spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, address and where he worked.
He was remanded to custody ahead of a plea hearing at Chelmsford Crown Curt on 3 November.
This Morning presenters addressed the allegations during Friday’s episode of the show, offering their support to their co-star.
“We are not going to talk too much about it but Holly is on the front pages after police arrested a 36-year-old man over an alleged kidnap plot,” presenter Dermot O’Leary said on air.
“We are obviously all shocked to hear the news and we want to send our love and biggest hugs to Holly and her family,” co-presenter Alison Hammond added.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also offered his support to Willoughby, saying: “I was so sorry to hear about everything going on with Holly and I wanted to send my best to her and her family and to all of you.”
Lorraine Kelly, Willoughby’s ITV colleague, said the news was “very, very upsetting” in Friday’s episode of her show, Lorraine.
“Of course we are sending Holly all of our love and best wishes, that is a terrible thing to be having to go through for her and her family,” she told viewers.
Essex Police said the suspect was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of conspiracy to kidnap and is in custody.
The force said in a statement: “A 36-year-old man from Harlow has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to kidnap as part of an ongoing investigation.
“The arrest was made on Wednesday, 4 October. He is currently in custody.”
The suspect is not known to the star, The Sun newspaper reported.
The police allegedly found “sinister messages” threatening to kidnap and “seriously harm” the mother of three, the paper reported.
This Morning bosses were alerted to the alleged plot on Thursday morning and the presenter decided to pull out shortly before she was due to go on air, the newspaper added.
ITV is also understood to be providing round-the-clock security and support for Willoughby alongside the police.
It comes after a turbulent period for Willoughby, who took a break from presenting This Morning after her former co-star, Phillip Schofield, resigned from the show after it emerged that he had a past affair with a younger male colleague.
He resigned from ITV last month and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to the “unwise, but not illegal” relationship.
Schofield, 61, denied he had ever had a sexual relationship with his former lover when he was underage, and also denied allegations he had groomed the man. He maintains that the relationship started when the man was about 20 and was “consensual”.
Willoughby returned to This Morning after her break and issued an on-air statement saying she felt “shaken, troubled and let down” by the controversy.
Last year, the former co-presenters were accused of “jumping” the queue for the Queen’s lying-in-state, prompting anger on social media.
The pair denied the accusations, saying they had a media pass into Westminster Hall to film a special report.
