Holly Willoughby has opened up about finding it “tough” being away from her family last Christmas due to Covid restrictions.
The 40-year-old This Morning presenter revealed that her sister Kelly, 42, was able to join mum Linda and dad Brian, making the separation even more gruelling.
She told The Mirror: “I remember last Christmas we were in London and my family were down in Sussex so they were in a different tier and my sister was able to see my parents, but I wasn’t. It was tough, we had never not had a Christmas day together before.
“There were parts of it which were lovely because I was with the family, but there is no doubt that I missed being with them as well.
“You want to be with all of your family on Christmas Day and you revert to being a kid yourself, and I wanted to see my mum and dad, so to be with my Mum and Dad on Christmas day at ours this year will be lovely.”
Holly also shed light on her typical Christmas Day routine which involves a 5.30am start before a posh boozy breakfast.
Her kids – Harry, 12, Belle, 10 and Chester, seven – open presents before she and husband Daniel Baldwin, 46, crack open the Buck’s Fizz and enjoy smoked salmon on toast.
She told The Sun: “All three kids run in very early, at fever pitch level of excitement, with some of them having not slept all night.
“My eldest had about an hour of sleep last year I think, so I’m hoping this year we will wake up slightly brighter than we did last year.
“We have to try and stop ourselves from opening the tree presents before breakfast because we’re all up at about 5.30am.”
Holly is also hosting a special, prerecorded festive version of This Morning today, alongside Phillip Schofield, 59, who also said he was looking forward to seeing friends and family this year.
Asked what he would enjoy most about Christmas this year, he said: “Just seeing people.
“The mere fact that family and friends can come round…because if you saw anyone last Christmas you were breaking the rules.
“So the fact that we can now get together, the darkest part seems to be over, and you can spend time with the people you love.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk