Dancing on Ice axe is ‘huge blow’ for Stephen Mulhern after challenging year
DANCING On Ice’s axe is a ‘huge blow’ for Stephen Mulhern after his challenging year, which saw him rushed to hospital after dramatically collapsing at a Pizza Express.
Telly favourite Stephen, 47, who fronted the ITV show alongside Holly Willoughby, 44, is also mourning the death of his father Christopher, who passed away last November.
And, according to PR expert Lynn Carratt, he will bear the brunt of the fallout from DOI’s cancellation.
She said: “The show’s longevity may simply have led viewers to seek fresher formats’
“The announcement that Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean will retire from live skating undoubtedly impacted the show and its potential to continue, and is surely one of the main reasons why ITV has decided to pull the plug now.
“Torvill and Dean would likely remain involved in the skating world, even if they’re no longer skating together.
“Stephen Mulhern has had a challenging year, and losing Dancing on Ice will be a huge blow to him, but he has other ITV projects in the pipeline and will be back on screens shortly with Celebrity Catchphrase..”
However, she believes Holly and judge Oti Mabuse will have plenty of other opportunities, while Ashley Banjo could even secure a seat on the Britain’s Got Talent panel.
Lynn, speaking on behalf of Prime Casino, added: “Holly will want to do more hosting on streaming services as it is so lucrative, dwarfing anything the ITV could offer her.
“Holly might be sad to see the show go, as she’s been part of it for a long time, but she seems content with her current projects, including lucrative streaming deals.
“She was paid £1 million to host Netflix’s Celebrity Bear Hunt, which has paved the way for Holly to do more hosting away from the mainstream broadcasters, dwarfing any money or benefits the ITV could offer her.
“She’ll likely earn around £3 million from other deals.
“Oti Mabuse will be okay, she has numerous other opportunities, both on and off television.
“She’s reportedly signed up for the Celebrity Apprentice and is hosting her own miniseries on ITV’s This Morning.
“She is very popular with viewers and that won’t go away.
“Oti is a great talent for a brand to be linked with and she could be set to earn around £1.5million from other deals.
“Ashley Banjo already has a thriving career in dance and theatre and he would likely continue with that and will be a sought-after judge for any new dance-related shows.
“Ultimately, while the end of Dancing on Ice would be a loss, it’s unlikely to spell the end of any of the hosts’ or judges’ careers.
“With Britain’s Got Talent having now been renewed for the next three years, Simon Cowell may well be knocking on Ashley’s door to get him on the panel.
“He won the show with Diversity who remain BGT’s most successful output.
“It may also provide a much-needed opportunity for ITV to revitalise its Sunday night programming.”
Stephen, who also fronts In For A Penny and Deal Or No Deal, faced a series of heartbreaks towards the end of 2024.
Stephen Mulhern’s career so far
The presenter is a mainstay on various ITV shows, but how did he become one of Britain’s most well-known faces?
Stephen first gained an interest in magic and tricks from his father who taught him as a kid.
After performing at Butlins, he became the youngest member of the Magic Circle and even made an appearance on Blue Peter in a piece about Harry Houdini.
His career started in Children’s TV when he presenter the show Finger Tips in 2001.
After four years, he launched Tricky TV on CITV in 2005, which he presented until 2010.
During this time, he was handpicked by bosses to front the ITV2 spin-off for Britain’s Got Talent.
He presented Britain’s Got More Talent until the cancelation of the companion in 2019.
But it’s not all bad news for Stephen who is known for his duties on a number of quiz shows.
In for a Penny, a format originally launched on Ant & Dec‘s Saturday Night Takeaway was launched the same year.
Before, he was chosen by bosses to host Catchphrase in 2013 and has been fronting the show ever since.
Other huge shows he presented for ITV included Big Star’s Little Star, Rolling In It and the reboot of Deal Or No Deal.
He also made regular appearances on This Morning in ‘The Hub’ segment between 2011 and 2014.
After the Philip Schofield scandal rocked ITV, he was chosen to reunite with his former CITV co-star Holly Willoughby as the host of Dancing on Ice.
He was left devastated following the passing of his father, Christopher.
Stephen was forced to pull out of commitments with Butlin’s holiday parks last month following the death.
The TV star, once the youngest member of the Magic Circle, was introduced to tricks by his dad and honed his skills while working on his market stall.
Last November, the star sparked concern when he collapsed inside a Pizza Express restaurant.
The star was believed to have reacted to an anaesthetic he had for an operation earlier that day.
An ambulance was called after staff became concerned for 47-year-old Stephen at around 8pm on Wednesday.
He was checked over by paramedics and taken from Sunningdale, Berks, to nearby Frimley Park hospital in Camberley, Surrey, as a precaution.
Stephen has been besieged by health problems over the past few years.
In April, he missed an episode of Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway due to illness, meaning Jordan North was brought in to cover his segment.
And in March 2022, The Sun on Sunday revealed he had been taken to hospital with an unknown condition.
He missed two episodes, and joked on his return that his private jet had broken down in Hollywood.
He added: “No, seriously, I haven’t been too well.”
