Holly Willoughby admits she was worried for the safety of her children at the height of the coronavirus pandemic when filming for This Morning.

The mum-of-three was travelling to the ITV studio four times a week to film alongside Phillip Schofield throughout lockdown.

Willoughby and co-star Phillip Schofield continued to broadcast from the studio throughout lockdown, despite the fact the pair had remote cameras put into their homes in case of an emergency, and even rehearsed broadcasting the show from their houses.

The 40-year-old star said her mind was set at ease by the fact she knew she was taking as many precautions as possible and felt she was making a contribution at a time of national anxiety.

The Dancing on Ice host said: I knew we were doing something important. I’ve got the kids at home, Dan wasn’t going into the office so I was really the only one going in and out of that house and I was worried, because I was thinking that I’ve got a responsibility for my own children.

“Having said all of that, I knew what we were doing was important, important enough for me to kind of go, ‘No, I know we’re being safe at work. I know I’m going to come home and wash my hands and take my clothes off by the door and get in the shower and all those things’, because I knew what we were doing was important so I wanted to keep doing it.”

She said the past year has made her change the way she organises her time, adding: “I think I’ve got better at that. There’s no reason why you have to go across town for a meeting.

“You can do those things on Zoom within your house and then you’re there when the kids get back from school. That type of thing, that real home time.

“The kids have really enjoyed me being back in the afternoons a lot more and most afternoons I am, because This Morning is in the morning, but quite often I’ll have bits and bobs to do.

“So for me, just having that time at home, I don’t want to give too much of that back now.”

This Morning airs each weekday from 10am on ITV1.