Gavin Plumb was last summer found guilty of soliciting murder and inciting rape and kidnap, following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court. He was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 16 years.
Willoughby, who waived her right to anonymity in connection with the case, told the Sunday Times’ Style magazine, external: “It’s been a tough one. There’s no way of sugar-coating it.”
The 43-year-old said: “When something like that happens, you have a decision to make.
“You can either decide, right, I can take this on board and it can absolutely affect all aspects of my life, or I can make a choice to go, let’s focus on everything that’s positive and good, all those important things.”
She spoke of her “wonderful” husband, children, friends and family, adding: “You have to go: I choose to positively move forward and rely on all those people – the police, the court, the judge, the jury – all those people to do their role. And that’s what I had to do.”
Willoughby said it was “not an option” for her to let the situation take over her life.
“So many people go through tough things – they just do,” she told interviewer Polly Vernon.
She added: “Although I wouldn’t wish what happened on me on anybody at all – sometimes things go wrong, but you have to keep going for it because that’s all you can do.”
