EXCLUSIVE: Stephen Mulhern reveals he IS in talks to take over as Dancing On Ice host from Phillip Schofield – but fate of Holly Willoughby is in doubt
Stephen Mulhern has revealed he’s in talks with Dancing On Ice bosses about taking over from Phillip Schofield, but the future of potential co-host Holly Willoughby remains uncertain.
The TV personality, 46, told MailOnline that it would be ‘amazing’ to front the show after he presented ITV2 spinoff series Defrosted for a year back in 2006 and he knows the job after standing in for Phil, 61, when he fell ill with Covid last year.
He also says co-hosting alongside longtime friend and colleague, former This Morning host Holly, 42, always makes for a ‘great time’, though nothing has been officially confirmed.
Producers are currently unsure whether Holly will return to present Dancing On Ice. The TV star suddenly quit This Morning last week after 14 years when an alleged plot to kidnap and murder her was exposed.
If Stephen does become Dancing On Ice host, the promotion will see him move up the ranks following years of working in the shadows of Phillip and Ant and Dec.
Stephen Mulhern has revealed he’s in talks with Dancing On Ice bosses about taking over from Phillip Schofield , but the future of potential co-host Holly Willoughby remains uncertain
The TV star told MailOnline that it would be ‘amazing’ to front the show after he presented spinoff Defrosted and he knows the job after standing in for Phil when he fell ill last year
He also says co-hosting alongside longtime friend and colleague, former This Morning host Holly always makes for a ‘great time’, though nothing has been officially confirmed
It shows he is finally being noticed by ITV bosses who have often given him the role of ‘spinoff’ presenter but now as he hosts Catchphrase and the Deal or Deal No reboot, Stephen is quickly becoming a serious primetime contender.
He said: ‘I used to do the spinoff show Defrosted and when I stood in for Phil when he wasn’t too well, he had Covid, I really enjoyed it and it was so lovely being back with Holly.
‘We had a great time together plus lots of the team were the same from when I did the ITV2 show.
‘We are talking about it, but I promise you now that nothing is confirmed but if it happens, it will be absolutely amazing… if it doesn’t, look, it doesn’t. I promise you I would tell you if we had it confirmed at this point.
‘The lineup is the best it has been in a few years… I am keeping across the lineup, just in case… It is a huge staple, and it has been around.’
Having hosted Dancing On Ice with Holly for the past 12 series, Phil will no longer be involved with the programme after being axed from all his roles on ITV earlier this year.
The channel fired Phil after he admitted to lying about a romantic relationship he had with a former younger colleague, immediately ending his contract at This Morning.
It has since been speculated that Phil could come back to television but as a contestant on the new Celebrity Big Brother, which will be returning to screens next year.
Having hosted Dancing On Ice with Holly for the past 12 series, Phil will no longer be involved with the programme after being axed from all his roles on ITV earlier this year
It has since been speculated that Phil could come back to television but as a contestant on the new Celebrity Big Brother, which will be returning to screens next year
Meanwhile, the future of Holly’s TV career remains undecided after she announced her departure from This Morning, saying she needed to protect her family.
Stars preparing to take on the ice challenge this year include former Love Island winner and West End performer Amber Davies, ex-professional boxer Ricky Hatton, and S Club 7 singer Hannah Spearritt.
EastEnders actor Ricky Norwood, Made In Chelsea regular Miles Nazaire, and radio DJ Adele Roberts have also been announced, as Stephen says the lineup is the best he’s seen in years.
Dancing On Ice was recommissioned by ITV in 2018 after being off screens for four years, marking the return of Holly and Phil’s partnership on the show.
Stephen says audiences panic when a TV show is cancelled but often that has to be the case with popular programmes and the same could one day happen to ITV juggernaut, I’m A Celeb.
He added: ‘Sometimes people panic when you hear that a show is going to be rested and think ‘we’re in trouble here’ but if it’s that popular… like with I’m A Celeb one day that will be rested because they will have to.
‘Now, there is not a hope in hell I would do that show… there is a long a time before you will see me on that!’
Following over two decades in show business, Stephen has been honoured with his own statue that on Wednesday was presented to him in Stratford, London, which is where he grew up
From performing as a Butlin’s Redcoat in his teens to fronting primetime television, Stephen says he has come full circle
Stephen says he crafted his act working at Butlin’s when he was just 18 and performing at the holiday camp gave him the skills he needed to work in the entertainment industry
In throwback photographs, Stephen wears the famous Butlin’s uniform, which this year has been revamped for the first time since 2011
Following over two decades in show business, Stephen has been honoured with his own statue that on Wednesday was presented to him for the first time in Stratford, London, which is where he grew up.
From performing as a Butlin’s Redcoat in his teens to fronting primetime television, Stephen says he has come full circle as he will soon present Deal or No Deal, originally hosted by Noel Edmonds, who he used to introduce on stage when he worked at the holiday resort.
The statue has been commissioned to celebrate the launch of a brand-new Redcoats uniform, by Jermyn Street Design, the first redesign since 2011, which has been modelled by Stephen in new photographs.
And now Stephen hopes to encourage future stars of the stage and screen to join the brand-new Butlin’s Redcoats Academy, which he says will provide those yearning to be in entertainment with the skills they need to succeed.
He said: ‘I have just seen the statue for the first time, they have built a statue which they are going to place it in Butlin’s Minehead Resort, which is where I was a Redcoat. My biggest fear is that it was an Ant and Dec windup but it’s the real deal, so I was over the moon that it’s all gone according to plan.
‘It is an honour, I have always supported Butlin’s, I did two years there, I started when I was 18 and left when I was 20 and by the time I left I had an act, and I was ready to go out and just give it a try.
‘What I have always said about Butlin’s is, and I genuinely believe this, I have friends that go to drama school, I think it gives you the best training ground because you’re in front of an audience straight away, there’s no messing about.
‘The fact that they’re now doing an academy is great because it’s going to teach people singing, dancing, hosting, presenting, DJing, a new breed of performer will come from Butlin’s in the coming years.’
He still performs residencies at Butlin’s, to the surprise of his fanbase, but Stephen insists there is no better training than being faced with a live audience, of which he does three times a day at the family-friendly holiday getaway.
Stephen said: ‘The other weird thing is when I was a Redcoat in 97 and 98, I was introducing people like Noel Edmonds and of course now with Deal or No Deal… talk about full circle.
‘I feel really proud of my career and because we have stayed connected… Butlin’s have helped me and I like to think I have helped them, together we have a good partnership.
‘And this is why I still tour with them because funnily enough, people say to me “oh, you’re still touring at Butlin’s?” and I say “yes!” there’s no other venue where you can guarantee getting a 3,000 strong audience, three shows a day, where else can you do that in the country? It is virtually impossible, I’m over the moon to still be part of it and to be there next year and indeed the year after.’
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