Holly Willoughby confronted her ultimate fear: 'going to die'

Here’s how Holly Willoughby overcame her fear of flying.

Nik and Eva Speakman, known for their work on the ITV program This Morning, have used their therapeutic techniques to help the veteran host overcome her fear of flying.

The Speakmans, who specialize in treating phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder apply their methods to both viewers and celebrities.

Recently, they used a psychological approach called Schema therapy during a special session at Manchester’s Runway Visitor Park to assist five people with the same fear of flying.

The Speakmans helped Holly in 2016, who during an episode of This Morning explained she used to love flying with her mum who was an air hostess until she was forced on a plummeting aircraft while hosting children’s TV.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Nik shared: “It’s not surprising at all that she [Holly] had a fear of flying.

“She was presenting a children’s TV show and for part of it she was going up in a plane and then the pilot was going to switch the engine off, freefall and then start the engine up.”

Nik Speakman explained that Holly Willoughby was not informed beforehand about the engine being switched off during her flight, which understandably terrified her. This fear became a lasting schema or mental reference that associated flying with danger. 

The Speakmans used their therapeutic process to challenge this fear by providing contrary evidence, helping Holly realize that her previous experience did not predict future flights.

The Speakmans explained that the fear of flying is often not to do with the plane or the flight itself - rather it is a transference of an earlier fear.

Holly realized that her fear of flying stemmed from her traumatic experience with the pilot, not the plane itself. She acknowledged that the plane functioned properly and safely, but her anxiety was misplaced onto the aircraft. 

By recognizing that her fear was based on the pilot's actions rather than the plane's performance, she understood that her anxiety was irrational and unfounded.

“It was just me that had pegged on the fact that I thought I was going to die, on to the aeroplane when actually that was a ridiculous thing to do.”