It all kicked off when Willoughby shared a behind-the-scenes photo of herself from what clearly looked like a professional shoot. “Have a little news coming soon, and it’s the stuff of dreams,” she captioned the post.

12 words. 12 words – none of which, I hasten to add, have anything to do with pregnancy or motherhood – was all it took to send UK tabloids into a tailspin.

“Holly Willoughby fuels pregnancy rumours as fans go wild for ‘dreamy’ announcement,” screamed one headline.

Another opted for: “Holly Willoughby fuels pregnancy rumours with cryptic Instagram post.”

And still one more declared: “Holly Willoughby sparks pregnancy speculation as she teases ‘exciting’ announcement.”

There were many other articles of this nature, of course, and almost all included a paragraph or two about how Willoughby once said she was “broody” in a throwaway comment. And fans were every bit as convinced that Willoughby’s “dream” project would be… well, another baby.

“She’s properly pregnant,” one commented under the original Instagram post.

“Pregnant?!” asked another.

“Up the fluff?” said one more.

And a fourth added: “A new baby on the way, how exciting!”

Holly Willoughby: no, the This Morning star didn’t “fuel pregnancy rumours”