We like watching Holly Willoughby being all smiley and friendly and generally Holly-ish on The X Factor, but unfortunately she’s just revealed that she might not be fronting the next series. No, she hasn’t become the latest victim of Simon Cowell's ever-looming axe – it’s just that her baby is due a few weeks before filming starts. Holly and her TV producer husband Dan Baldwin are expecting their first ickle babba in May – and that’s just a few weeks before the audition process begins, which normally sees Holly touring the country and offering a shoulder (or bosom) to cry on to contestants after they've been ripped to shreds by those evil judges. “I don’t know if I’ll be back on The X Factor,” she says. “It’s going to be shortly after the arrival, and I don’t know if I want to rush. I need to decide soon. I love being in The X Factor, but we’ve got to see if we can work it out.” An X Factor spokeswoman says that “talks are ongoing” – but we’re not sure if these “talks” are about getting a replacement for Holly or installing a crèche at the back of the audition room. If Holly is forced to quit the show (and we can't blame her for wanting to spend time at home with her newborn), who do you think should replace her? They’ve already been through Ben Shephard and Fearne Cotton in previous years, so they’re running out of suitably smiley and comforting presenters…
Who should replace Holly?