Holly Willoughby says 'This Morning' mistakes are down to dyslexia

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This Morning presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield during a photocall at the ITV Studios, Southbank, London. (Photo by Isabel Infantes/PA Images via Getty Images)
This Morning presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield. (PA via Getty Images)

Holly Willoughby has opened up about her struggle with dyslexia, saying it is the reason she sometimes makes mistakes on This Morning.

The presenter has been dealing with the learning disorder since childhood, and said she used to be scared of reading out loud at school because she thought people saw her as “stupid” when she stumbled over words.

She told Red magazine that “most of the mistakes” she makes on the ITV daytime show are because of her dyslexia but that it no longer has the “power” over her that it used to.

Read more: Holly Willoughby quits Celebrity Juice

“I’ve struggled with dyslexia since I was young and it used to hold me back,” said the mother-of-three, who fronts This Morning alongside her close friend Phillip Schofield.

BIRMINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 18: Holly Willoughby at This Morning Live held at the NEC Birmingham on May 18, 2017 in Birmingham, England.   PHOTOGRAPH BY Graham Stone / Barcroft Images  London-T:+44 207 033 1031 E:hello@barcroftmedia.com - New York-T:+1 212 796 2458 E:hello@barcroftusa.com - New Delhi-T:+91 11 4053 2429 E:hello@barcroftindia.com www.barcroftimages.com (Photo credit should read Graham Stone / Barcroft Media via Getty Images / Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
Holly Willoughby at This Morning Live held at the NEC Birmingham in 2017. (Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

“At school, reading out loud absolutely terrified me because I’d get all the words wrong and I was convinced everybody thought I was stupid.

“It still happens now – most of the mistakes I make on This Morning are because of it, but it doesn’t do what it did to me back then because I don’t let it have power. I now know that it’s all about how you package it in your head.”

Read more: Holly Willoughby throws Phillip Schofield a virtual surprise birthday party

Willoughby, 39, has previously revealed that she has some special ways to help her overcome any problems on This Morning.

In an interview in 2017, the star said that she used coloured scripts and also made sure to check out the autocue ahead of time.

Willoughby has been a presenter on This Morning since 2009. Her other TV credits include Celebrity Juice and Dancing On Ice.

The NHS website defines dyslexia as “a common learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling”.

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