Holly Willoughby parties at The Streets gig as she kickstarts birthday celebrations

Holly Willoughby got a head start on her 38th birthday celebrations as she partied at The Streets’ Brixton Academy gig.

Despite her early start, the This Morning presenter attended rapper Mike Skinner’s sell-out show ahead of her special day on February 10.

Sharing a grainy black and white shot of herself knocking back a drink while wearing a Streets VIP wristband, the star wrote: “Just about sums it up… @mikeskinnerltd @o2academybrix.”

Fans were delighted to see that the presenter was letting her hair down to mark the occasion, with one Instagram follower writing: “Sometimes I think we don’t get to see the real you @hollywilloughby.”

“Holly Willoughby is cooler than us,” another joked.

“Drinking on a school night. Love it,” one commenter wrote, adding: “Happy birthday for the weekend.”

Others said that they “spotted” Willoughby “instantly” while attending the gig.

The ITV star attended Skinner’s comeback gig at the same venue last April, along with All Saints’ Nicole Appleton and a close friend.

She shared a picture of her pals with the rapper with the caption “I mean.. all my favs in one pic.”

Willoughby and Skinner have been friends for years, after the presenter made a cameo appearance in the video for his 2006 single When You Wasn’t Famous.

Earlier in the day, Willoughby was moved to tears when her This Morning co-host Phillip Schofield surprised her with a basket of puppies as an early birthday treat.

The 37-year-old was overwhelmed as the eight-week-old Pomeranians were wheeled into the studio, describing the bundles of fluff as “just the cutest thing [she’d] ever seen.”

Passing his co-star a glass of champagne at the end of the show, Schofield joked that Willoughby was “going to be rubbish” when they present Dancing on Ice live on Sunday night.

“I’m going to be really rubbish on Sunday,” she responded, before adding: “I’ll be fine! I’ll just carry on.”