Holly Willoughby’s kidnap and murder plotter Gavin Plumb made an appearance on TV before his wicked plan came to light as he was handed a life sentence last year

Gavin Plumb appeared on TV before his sick Holly Willoughby plot

The man who plotted to rape and murder Holly Willoughby had made an appearance on TV before targeting the This Morning presenter. Gavin Plumb, 37, had been planning the terrifying attack since 2021, after becoming obsessed with the star over a number of years.

Last year, Chelmsford Crown Court ultimately handed Plumb a life sentence with a minimum of 16 years in jail. He amassed tens of thousands of images, tracked her movements, researched her home and security arrangements and had recruited other like-minded men to help turn his sick sexual fantasies into reality.

Last year, jurors heard how Plumb had been planning the terrifying attack since 2021(Image: Dave J. Hogan/Getty Images)

Their plan was to invade Holly’s London home – subdue her husband with chloroform and use the couple’s young children as leverage.

They intended to kidnap Holly, drive her to a remote location where she would be viciously sexually assaulted and ultimately, murdered.

Now, his plot is set to be explored in a new Channel 5 documentary, The Plot To Kill Holly Willoughby. The documentary examines the details of this crime and the horrific plan by the Essex security guard.

However, it isn’t the first time Plumb has appeared on TV screens. Back in 2018, Plumb, who at that point tipped the scales at 35 and a half stone, appeared in a BBC documentary about weight loss.

He revealed his determination to make a change after his junk food diet left him practically housebound. Speaking with BBC Radio 5 Live’s Afternoon Edition programme in August 2017, Plumb, admitted to slurping 36 pints of Coke a week.

He said: “The last time I went out unaided was 2014 – it was my parents’ wedding vow renewal. I only really go out my front door to put out a bin bag, in the bin just outside the flat, and that’s every few days. Other than that, I don’t leave my doorstep.

“I hate sitting indoors. I hate looking at the same four walls 24/7. I hate being the size I am. I’m pretty much in pain everywhere. I get chest pains and I’ve just been told it’s because of my weight.

“I’m scared that if I have something to eat or if I get up and I do too much, that’s it, I’m done.”

Plumb appeared on the show about weight

In a press release issued last year, Essex Police described how Plumb spoke online about his intentions to restrain his victim and even bought chloroform, cable ties and ropes.

Thankfully, an undercover police officer from the US reported Plumb to the FBI and UK police. As Plumb continued to talk about his sick plot online, he attempted to include the undercover cop in his plans, who then reported him.

Plumb, who was arrested at his home in 2023, will serve at least 15 years and 85 days in prison, due to the time he spent on remand prior to his trial.

Essex Police’s Detective Chief Inspector Greg Wood said: “He tried to claim throughout the trial that he was an obsessive fan and a fantasist – that is simply not true.

“He planned this attack on Ms Willoughby over a two-year period, scoping her movements, seeking to elicit help from others to carry out his wicked plan, buying chloroform and other items to incapacitate, restrain and inflict violence upon her.

“He is no fantasist – he’s a calculated, violent, sexual predator who has spent his adult life inflicting or plotting to inflict harm on women.”