To think bless Holly Willoughby for her tears

[bongobaby]

Have just been watching This Morning and Holly having tears on the matter of that scumbag Ian Watkins. She was visibly upset when it was spoken about how he groomed the mothers of these young babies who he went on to abuse.
It seems that as a mother herself she could not comprehend how the mothers allowed it to go on. Hence her tears.

She is supposed to be a professional, but trades on her little girl act, all giggles and flirty one minute, then sobbing and emotional the next. She's there to inform, entertain, explain - something that previous presenters of This Morning and other similar programmes have managed to do perfectly well in the past

I agree with Mabelene. In fact, are you me?

Absolutely. Nothing like reinforcing the view that women are too emotional to do a professional job properly.............

I wondered that too, if she'd met or socialised with him.

Its got nothing to do with being a mother, what sexist crap. You don't have to have birthed a child to be horrified.

If she can't control herself due to him being an ex of FC then she should have excused herself from the discussion - everyone watching will already be feeling upset and her sobbing will not have helped at all

hermoine

She is supposed to act professional.. If Holly did come into personal contact with Watkins in a situation where maybe one of her own young children may of been left on their own with him. Can you not see why she had become so upset?

She's best friends with Fearne Cotton who used to date him so yes, it's likely she knew him. ugh

Mabelene said it perfectly.

I'm not keen on Holly's over emotional style generally (though I never watch TM so can't comment on her on that). I think you can be compassionate as an interviewer without sobbing your way through things. I do think that that style reinforces the stereotype of the emotional woman/rational man.

However, this must have struck incredibly close to home as someone who, at the least, is very close to one of the offender's ex-girlfriends. And more probably has met and spent time with him herself. I'm not sure many people could retain a professional distance in that situation, and I sort of respect her for not bowing out of the interview. It must have taken a lot of strength to do it.

What she may or may not have done in the past has nothing to do with the viewers or the programme, and if she couldn't handle it, she should have absented herself

I have just watched on +1, I think the emotion is probably down to her friendship with Fearne.

Does anyone know how long Holly and Fearne have been friends? Or when Fearne went out with him?

Because Holly's son is 4 - might he have come into contact with him? That would be hard. It completely broke me when we were informed that our toddler's childminder's husband had been arrested for child abuse.

Everybody is appalled by this, man and women. But when two mothers have willingly offered their 11 month old babies to this man it hits a nerve in mothers as to how the fuck can you do that. Men want to beat the hell out of men that do this and mothers want to get their heads around it and cry.

Thank you Sofa I actually expected to be a lone voice here

I'm with you too, mabelene. Women have spend years convincing the powers that be that they can be professional and not let their emotions run away with them"......

I get annoyed with blubbers - do you think Holly feels more deeply, because she tears up all the time? No, she doesn't.

The deepest feeling always shows itself in silence;; if not in silence, then restraint. (prize if you get the quote)

Weetbix - I've only done a very surface Google as I don't want to read too much about this vile man's crimes, but I think Fearne dated him in 2008 and Holly's son wasn't born until 2009.

Weebit I'm sure I read somewhere that his relationship with fearne ended in 2005

I am upset for Fearne Cotton. There are pictures of her with him all over the papers. 'Ex of Fearne cotton' in all the articles.

She's engaged with a baby of her own now God knows how she feels.

Re the comment about Phil Schofield above, not tears, no, but I for one could hear more than a hint of snarl in his voice. The instinct to go all Papa Wolf definitely had its ears back and its lip curled.

Oh, that's right. They dated in 2005. A picture of them together that I saw was from 2008.

bongobaby, and women who aren't mothers?

I'm not trying to pick a fight here, but his actions are abhorrent to humanity, all humanity. You don't need to have procreated to see that.