Holly Willoughby’s life was changed forever following the arrest of Gavin Plumb.
She had known nothing of his depraved plans to kidnap, rape and murder her until he was apprehended by Essex Police in 2023.
But a day after the 37-year-old’s arrest, the longtime host of This Morning and her family were under police protection – and days later she had left the ITV show and withdrawn from public life while the case again Plumb was built.
Last summer, the man behind this dramatic turn of events was sent to prison.
Now a documentary, The Plot To Kill Holly Willoughby, will explore the full extent of his plans and preparation on Channel 5 on Thursday 1 May from 9pm.
We take a look at Plumb, his plan for the television host, and what has happened to him since his trial.
Gavin Plumb was obsessed with Holly Willoughby (Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty)Gavin Plumb was a former security guard from Harlow in Essex.
Morbidly obese and virtually housebound, he had appeared on the BBC between 2017 to 2018 discussing his health issues with weight, and detailed how he had had gastric surgery to control it.
He also had previous convictions for attempting to kidnap two young women in August 2006 and for false imprisonment of two other young women in December 2008.
And for around a decade before October 2023, he had been obsessed with television presenter Holly Willoughby.
What did Gavin Plumb do to Holly Willoughby?
For two-and-a-half years before his arrest, Plumb had been researching the television star’s personal life.
He had scoured social media and material online, amassing thousands of images of her and gaining detailed knowledge of her activity, filming commitments and home security arrangements.
After joining various online forums, including one called “Abduct Lovers”, he began a series of discussions with members dating back to 2021 where he outlined his plan to kidnap the presenter from her family home in Barnes.
He was looking to recruit one or more accomplices to help him carry out his plan, which was to invade her London home, subdue her husband with chloroform, and use the couple’s young children as leverage.
Then he intended to kidnap Willoughby and drive her to a remote location where she would be sexually assaulted and ultimately killed.
His preparation included assembling a “kidnap kit”, with handcuffs, 400 metal cable ties, leg shackles, a pocketknife, and bottles of chloroform. He had also been searching for imitation firearms online.
Plumb was arrested on 4 October 2023, after a tip-off from a police officer in Minnesota in the USA.
The officer had been working undercover as forum member David Nelson and became involved in discussions with Plumb about his plot regarding Willoughby.
Increasingly concerned about what Plumb had posted in the forum and in private discussion, the officer feared the 37-year-old posed an imminent threat to the presenter and her family. He informed the FBI and the British police and the arrest was made.
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Plumb was charged with soliciting murder, encouraging or assisting the offence of kidnapping and encouraging or assisting the offence of rape. He denied all three charges and his trial began at Chelmsford Crown Court in June 2024.
During the proceedings, Plumb claimed his plans for Willoughby were just online chat and fantasy.
He said the chloroform had been bought to clean a stain on his carpet.
However, jurors were shown evidence of conversations between Plumb and a man called “Marc”, in which they discussed in graphic detail sexual and violent offences they plotted to carry out against the victim.
Plumb was convicted on all three counts on 4 July 2024 at Chelmsford Crown Court.
How long was Gavin Plumb jailed for and where is he now?
On 12 July last year, Plumb was given a life sentence and ordered to serve a minimum of 16 years in prison.
Sentencing him, Mr Justice Murray said: “I have no hesitation in concluding that each of your three offences is one of very high culpability, having regard, in particular, to the sexual motivation for your offending and your intention to inflict extreme and gratuitous degradation on your victim.
“The intended harm of each offence was, in each case, of the highest category forthe relevant offence.
“There is no doubt that if you had genuinely found one or more accomplices who were seriously interested and had been willing to join you in carrying your plan through, then you would have put this plan into action.”
The judge also praised the “considerable courage” of Willoughby in waiving her right to anonymity.
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