Holly Willoughby defended by fans who fume 'have a day off' as latest This Morning appearance under fire

Holly Willoughby has been defended by fans as they fumed 'have a day off' after her latest appearance on This Morning came under fire. The presenter returned to the helm of the programme on Thursday (September 7), two days after the ITV daytime show lost out on an award.

Holly put on a glamourous display at the National Television Awards earlier this week where the stars of the small screen descended on London's O2 for one of the biggest nights in the annual showbiz calendar. But it wasn't the best night for the star and her colleagues as they lost its best daytime show title.

This Morning had been on a winning streak having taken home the gong every year since 2011 but that came to an end as The Repair Shop claimed the prestigious prize with host Jay Blades making the acceptance speech.

Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features

The BBC One show's host Jay Blades gave Holly and Alison a hug before heading up on stage where he encouraged the crowd to cheer as the show’s team joined him and snapped a picture of the moment as he noted it was a "rarity" for them to be winning the prize.

Holly has since spent two days back fronting This Morning alongside Craig Doyle before Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary returned for their usual Friday slot today (September 8). But back to the mum-of-three and fans were jumping to her defence as she finished up her first week back on screens since her two-month-long summer break.

For her last live show of the week, Holly, 42, stunned in an elegant white dress that featured short sleeves and a deep V neckline. She the ensemble with a pair of open-toe heels and styled her shoulder-length blonde locks down into soft waves which could be seen