One seemingly harmless line left the entire studio in stunned silence — laughter turned to disbelief in seconds. Behind the polished fame was a chapter where she used her own body in ways that few would ever imagine

Holly Willoughby was ‘told not to wear a bra on kids TV to be more attractive.

The This Morning star’s early career in front of the camera has been put into the spotlight amid reports that TV bosses ordered her not to wear a bra while presenting children’s TV

Holly Willoughby was reportedly told by bosses to appear on children’s TV without a bra on in a bid to appeal to male viewers.

The 43-year-old former This Morning star has been in front of cameras since she was a teenager – with her being just 19 years old when she made her small screen debut in 2000 in S Club 7: Artistic Differences. She went on to launch a presenting career that has now spanned decades, with her earliest hosting roles being on children’s television.

Holly quickly became a TV favourite thanks to her appearances on BBC shows including CBBC at the Fame Academy and ITV shows including Ministry of Mayhem and CD:UK. But now Holly’s early career has been re-examined through a 2023 lens and uncomfortable questions have arisen.

The Mail on Sunday has claimed Holly was asked by male executives to present children’s TV shows without a bra in an effort to draw more attention. A source told the weekend newspaper that one of Holly’s colleagues was so shocked to see her on set without a bra that they questioned her about it – only for her to allegedly claim bosses told her to dress that way.

Holly Willoughby was reportedly ordered not to wear a bra while presenting kids TV shows(Image: Nicolas Laborie/REX/Shutterstock)

Holly has wow praise for her refined style in recent years(Image: Getty Images)

The source told the publication: “Before I knew who Holly even was, I saw her without a bra on and asked a director who she was and why she was dressed like that. I said she needs to get a bra on, it was children’s television. I reminded Holly of it some time later and she said they made her not wear a bra, that the shows weren’t actually for children. It was pretty staggering that this was going on.” And another source added to the Mail on Sunday’s report: “It’s pretty awful, it doesn’t even seem that long ago. And what’s worse is that Holly probably wasn’t the only one.”