Holly Willoughby stuns in red gown with new Dancing On Ice co-host Stephen Mulhern ahead of ITV comeback

HOLLY Willoughby stunned in red after giving the green light to Dancing On Ice.

The presenter, 42, posed with her co-star and long-time pal Stephen Mulhern, 46, who has replaced Phillip Schofield, 61, on the ITV skating series.

It will be the first time that Holly has been on-screen since announcing her This Morning departure in October.

She has been keeping a low profile since leaving the daytime show and news broke of an alleged plot to kidnap and murder her.

Holly is understood to have agreed terms on a “rolling contract” with the option to quit next year if she wants a longer break.

Oti Mabuse, 33, Ashley Banjo, 35, Jayne Torvill, 66, and Christopher Dean, 65, will return as judges for the 15th series, which returns to ITV1 on Sunday 14 January.

Stephen had been tipped to become the show's new presenter, having stood in when Phillip had Covid-19 last year and having also presented the spin-off show Defrosted.

Holly also met Dan Baldwin, her husband, while working with Stephen on Ministry of Mayhem two decades ago —where her duties included being the magician's prop to be sawn in half and having food thrown at her.

Holly and Phillip's television partnership and 14-year reign on This Morning ended last year when Schofield, 61, resigned from ITV due to his affair with a younger colleague.

At the time he said the relationship was "unwise but not illegal".

Holly told the programme's viewers in June that she had been "let down" by him, adding: "You, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt that they had to resign from ITV, and step down from a career that they loved. That is a lot to process."