HOLLY Willoughby’s big budget show Freeze The Fear has been put on ice.
The extreme winter challenge show, which featured a host of celebrities taking on challenges in the freezing Italian Dolomites, marked the TV star’s return to the BBC after almost a decade.
She even took time off from This Morning to film alongside Lee Mack in January last year.
But as yet there are no plans underway for a second series of Freeze The Fear, with the show left in the chiller for now.
A TV insider said: “Since 2004 Holly has almost exclusively worked for ITV as one of the channel’s most prized presenters.
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“So it was a big deal in the industry that she was hopping over to the BBC and showed she had real confidence in Freeze the Fear being a big success.
“But as it stands there’s been no work done on a second series.
“This time last year the team were months into pre-production and filming was just two weeks away.
“Never say never, but as it stands no decision has been made on the future of the show.”
During her time on ITV, Holly has hosted everything from Dancing on Ice to I’m A Celebrity.
In 2012 and 2013 she hosted two series of The Voice UK for the BBC, before Emma Willis took the reins.
Freeze The Fear with Wim Hof aired in April 2022 and featured celebs including Holly’s cousin, Tamzin Outhwaite, Gabby Logan and Patrice Evra battling the elements to take on a string of extreme challenges.
Launching the show, the BBC said: “The celebrities taking part will be tackling wild and death-defying challenges in Europe’s harshest conditions, for a journey of serious self-discovery in a bid to defeat their demons, from anxiety and insomnia to ongoing health conditions, and they will all need to dig deep to embrace the sub-zero temperatures.”
An average of 1.8million viewers tuned in to watch.
It was well-received by viewers, who enjoyed the chemistry between new pairing Holly and comedian Lee.
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Holly gushed about Lee: “I can’t wait to team up with Lee and Wim on this show.
"Lee is a favourite in our house because he’s so hilariously funny and I’ve been a fan of Wim for a long time – he’s a genius who’s incredibly passionate about helping others.
“This show is going to be brilliantly entertaining and you never know…you may find out some things that could help you along the way too.”
With A-list followers ranging from Tom Cruise to Justin Bieber and Oprah to David Beckham, Wim Hof earnt his nickname after setting world records that defied modern medicine: Running a half marathon above the Arctic Circle barefoot, submerging himself in ice for 1hr52mins and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in just his shorts and shoes.
The BBC declined to comment.
