Stephen Mulhern, 47, breaks silence on Holly Willoughby ITV exit after pair’s Dancing on Ice axe
Stephen Mulhern is embarking on a bold new chapter in his television career as he continues to host the revival of “You Bet!” solo following Holly Willoughby’s departure.
The ITV presenter is now aiming to reinvent himself, shedding what has been dubbed his “Mr Beige” image in favour of becoming more like the legendary Bruce Forsyth.
This transformation comes at a pivotal moment for Mulhern, who has seen significant changes in his professional partnerships recently, with Willoughby stepping away from their collaborations, including “You Bet!” and the now-axed “Dancing on Ice”.
Willoughby’s decision to step away from “You Bet!” has left Mulhern to present the show alone, a change he admits finding difficult initially, telling TV Biz: “I’m gutted she’s not doing You Bet! with me.”
Mulhern revealed that Holly delivered the news face-to-face, saying: “She just said, ‘Look, sorry, I can’t do it’.
‘Look, I’m gutted but it’s all over’.”
Despite his disappointment, Mulhern has begun to see potential benefits in the change, reflecting: “Maybe it happened for a reason.”
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Mulhern has embraced the challenge of hosting “You Bet!” solo, drawing inspiration from the show’s history. “Bruce Forsyth was the first person to do You Bet! and he did it on his own,” he noted, adding that “Matthew Kelly made it the best show on the telly.”
The transition appears to be going smoothly, with the presenter revealing: “We’ve filmed one episode already without Holly, and it felt very comfortable. Maybe it is just a one-presenter show.”
This shift comes as Stephen looks to move beyond his cautious image. Emma Willis once dubbed him “Fifty Shades Of Beige” due to his safe food choices and reluctance to travel beyond familiar destinations like Florida.
Despite his changing partnerships, Mulhern remains busier than ever at ITV. He continues to host Celebrity Catchphrase and has three new shows in development.
The presenter is so passionate about his future projects that he’s investing his own money to develop a new concept and explained: “It’s very hard to pitch stuff on paper, you’ve got to show people, so I’m just going to invest my own money into it, then pitch it. The key is for the family to sit down and enjoy it.”
Perhaps the most significant development in Stephen’s career transformation is his upcoming travelogue with Ant & Dec. “The Accidental Tourist” will show viewers a completely different side to the presenter. When people see it, they’ll see a completely different side. It’s stripped down,” Mulhern revealed.
The show will push him far outside his comfort zone, resulting in unprecedented emotional vulnerability and admitted: “You’ll see a lot of emotion, 100 per cent. You’ll see me totally out of my comfort zone.”
The filming process was particularly intense for Mulhern, who confessed: “No one’s ever seen me cry but I cried a lot.”
He continues to find success in family entertainment, having now filmed more episodes of Catchphrase than the show’s original host, Roy Walker. He believes simplicity is key to a successful format.
“The secret to success now is proper family entertainment,” he explained. “If you can’t sum up the show in a sentence, it will never work.”
When asked about his own enduring appeal, Mulhern offered a telling insight into his reliable “Mr Beige” persona: “Because I’m not the rebel! You hear of certain performers or presenters and they go, ‘They’re bang out of order’. And you go, ‘Well, they’re not working now…'”