Holly Willoughby lets her hair down in a glamorous black dress as she hosts the Great Ormond Street charity ball in a poignant moment for the star's return to the spotlight after a kidnapping plot

Holly Willoughby celebrated a poignant moment in her return to the spotlight as she hosted Great Ormond Street Hospital's charity ball on Thursday.

The 42-year-old presenter marked her TV comeback last month with new series Dancing On Ice, three months after learning of an alleged plot to kidnap and kill her by former security guard Gavin Plumb.

Holly proudly showed off a selection of photos from the charity gala on Instagram as she helped organize a major auction to raise money for a new state-of-the-art Children's Cancer Centre.

The former This Morning star looked stunning in a black floor-length dress with silver trim and sheer panels on the bust and sides.

Holly let her hair down that evening and shared a photo of herself punching the air in triumph as Charlie Ross attracted a £750,000 bid at auction.

Holly showed off a selection of photos from the charity gala as she helped organize a major auction to raise money for a new children's cancer center (pictured with make-up artist Patsy O' Neil)

The TV star also shared a photo with her makeup artist Patsy O'Neil, who she called her “date” for the evening, as well as a photo with a father named Gareth whose daughter Sienna is being treated for leukemia.

She wrote: 'What a wonderful evening and a complete honor to host the Love GOSH gala dinner for Great Ormond Street Hospital @greatormondst.

'Thank you to everyone who came out and dug deep to raise a HUGE amount of money for a new, state-of-the-art Children's Cancer Center at GOSH. Always grateful for my lovely date @patsyoneillmakeup and really enjoyed meeting Gareth who spoke so honestly about his daughter Sienna's treatment for leukemia…

'Heart is a special mention to Charlie Ross, the auctioneer, and @rebecca_ferguson and @feelinginsta who lit up the dance floor.'

Fans said it was great to see Holly looking so happy, while This Morning presenter Dermot O'Leary said: 'Well done'.

One follower wrote: 'Well done Holly. You are and always will be a great host,” while others said: “You look so happy. I'm happy about it. You deserve all the happiness' and 'You are doing something great, keep doing it'.

Holly quit This Morning after 14 years in October following Phillip's resignation from the broadcaster.

He left the show after admitting to having an affair with a younger colleague and lying to his co-star when questioned about the mounting speculation.

After returning to the ITV program without him, Holly was mocked for the statement she made addressing the nation and asking if viewers were 'okay' after the revelation.

Holly chatted to dad Gareth, whose daughter Sienna is being treated for leukemia

She wrote: 'What a wonderful evening and a complete honor to host the Love GOSH gala dinner for Great Ormond Street Hospital @greatormondst'

The presenter, 42, marked her TV comeback last month with new series Dancing On Ice (pictured with Stephen Mulhern)

She then suffered another setback when a man was arrested for an alleged plot to kidnap and kill her, leaving her terrified.

According to reports, she was too scared to leave her home after Gavin Plumb was charged with the crime, forcing her off the air for months.

She debated whether to present Dancing On Ice with new co-host Stephen Mulhern, but returned to live television earlier this year.