Holly Willoughby makes her acting debut as she unveils Christmas advert

Holly Willoughby makes her acting debut as she unveils Christmas cartoon ad playing a devastated owner whose cat goes missing for three years

Holly Willoughby shared her excitement at being the voice of a cartoon advert for Cats Protection to encourage owners to microchip their pets on Wednesday.

The presenter, 39, opened an advent calendar door to reveal a kitten with host Phillip Schofield telling viewers: ‘It’s the new Cats Protection advert, which launches online today.

‘It’s voiced by someone I know very well and encourages pet owners to get their cats microchipped.’

Acting debut: Holly Willoughby shared her excitement at being the voice of a cartoon advert for Cats Protection to help cats get microchipped on Wednesday

The advert, based on a true story, was then shown to This Morning viewers, with Holly voicing the character of a concerned mother called Anna after their family cat, Casper, goes missing for a three year period in Plymouth. 

With their young son Daniel worrying over the fate of their feline, Holly rings Cats Protection to tell them Casper is microchipped. 

As the days pass into years, Daniel doesn’t give up hope and writes to Santa wishing for Casper to return for Christmas.

Heartache: The advert was then shown to This Morning viewers, with Holly voicing the character of a concerned mother called Anna after their pet cat Casper goes missing

Heartache: The advert was then shown to This Morning viewers, with Holly voicing the character of a concerned mother called Anna after their pet cat Casper goes missing 

Reunited: The animation is based on the true story of Casper (pictured with Daniel, 11, and Anna) who was found three years after going missing from his home in Plymouth

Reunited: The animation is based on the true story of Casper (pictured with Daniel, 11, and Anna) who was found three years after going missing from his home in Plymouth

Important message: The presenter, 39, opened an advent calendar door to reveal a kitten with host Phillip Schofield telling viewers: 'What it is, it's the new Cats Protection advert'

Important message: The presenter, 39, opened an advent calendar door to reveal a kitten with host Phillip Schofield telling viewers: ‘What it is, it’s the new Cats Protection advert’

Holly later receives a phone call about the pussycat’s location. 

Holly’s character grabs her keys to pick of their beloved pet who is 55 miles away, with the advert ending with Casper waking up Daniel on Christmas morning. 

The TV star is an avid feline lover and often shares sweet snaps of her own cat, Bluebell, on Instagram. 

The presenter’s acting debut comes after she made her return to This Morning on Monday after taking two days off after a coronavirus scare with her children.

Home sweet home: Holly's character grabs her keys to pick of their beloved pet who is 55 miles away, with the advert ending with Casper waking up Daniel on Christmas morning

Home sweet home: Holly’s character grabs her keys to pick of their beloved pet who is 55 miles away, with the advert ending with Casper waking up Daniel on Christmas morning

The presenter was back on screens for the ITV show with Phillip Schofield, but failed to mention her absence at the end of last week.

Over the weekend Holly posted an Instagram message, explaining that she took time off from the show because two of her children were displaying COVID-19 symptoms.  

The TV personality was replaced by Davina and Alison Hammond on Wednesday and Thursday as she awaited test results – which turned out to be negative.

On Monday’s show, Holly opened the show with her usual banter with Phil, as they counted down to Christmas. 

‘A month until Christmas eve that’s not far away is it?,’ Holly said before pointing out that 24 is a big day for her as ‘that’s the day my pet psychic said I’d have a really important day in work! That’s tomorrow!’ 

So sweet: Holly is an avid feline lover and often shares sweet snaps of her own cat, Bluebell, on Instagram

So sweet: Holly is an avid feline lover and often shares sweet snaps of her own cat, Bluebell, on Instagram