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Stephen Mulhern reveals painful injury he’s STILL suffering from after Ricky Hatton’s Dancing On Ice punch
Mulhern revealed what it's like to work with his mate Holly again
STEPHEN Mulhern has opened up about an injury he got during a theatrical moment while filming Dancing On Ice with Ricky Hatton.
The show host got punched by the former boxer as part of a skit, but has since admitted that although it was a joke, it actually hurt.
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TV favourite Stephen, 46, said the idea first got floated when his co-host Holly Willoughby, 42, jokingly asked Ricky to hit him as part of a skit.
They then decided to turn it into a live moment during Dancing On Ice, but Stephen forgot quite how strong the contestant was.
He told The Sun exclusively: "I said to Ricky, do us a favour...Holly will say to you 'just punch him Ricky', which she said off the cuff initially and I said 'we should do that live'.
"Obviously I forgot he's a three time world champion boxer."
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Despite wearing padding for the stunt, Stephen has admitted to having a huge bruise after Ricky sent him flying.
He added: "He nearly knocked me out. If I showed you the bruise, it is massive. It's on the arm, it's very painful."
The Deal or No Deal presenter was left flat on his face after the incident, which aired on Sunday.
Shortly afterwards Ricky discovered that he was at the bottom of the leader board.
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He became the first celebrity skater to get voted off the show.
Working with Holly again has been an added bonus for Stephen.
Stephen told The Sun at the 2024 Toy Fair: "To be working with Holly again is a dream, when we first started presenting together...last Wednesday was 20 years when we first started presenting together. What I find amazing is when Phil [Schofield] wasn't too well with Covid, I never thought I would actually get the job, so it's been amazing.
"And also because it's live, anything can happen."
Stephen opened up about the incredible public response he has had since landing the Dancing on Ice job and after his first live show.
He continued: "The reaction has been amazing and it's always that fear isn't it, that it won't go as well as we expect it to go.
"But the response has been beautiful. Even this morning, there have been so many people coming up saying that we get on so well.
"And I think the good thing is, is that all we have to be is ourselves. And it's just been a good time."
When asked if he was glad to see Holly back on TV again following her break, Stephen said: "She's great and you can tell that [she's glad to be back doing what she loves]. She's stunning, she's always looked amazing, she's glowing."
The Catchphrase host said he'd happily team up with co-host Holly for another TV show - describing them as the "dream team".
"Now we've been accepted as a good partnership, we're a dream team. I'm always asking her for words of advice on what to wear because I'm standing beside what is like a mannequin doll," he said.
The TV favourite said he's sticking around on Dancing on Ice for now after having an incredible year, landing the reboot of Deal or No Deal.
Speaking about what his favourite thing about working on Dancing on Ice, Stephen added: "I think because the live shows mean anything can happen, we've always got to be ready just in case.
"But we also get to spend all that time together. We go in early Sunday morning, we go in rehearsals and when we go live there is no going back.
"I said as a joke that i would love to learn how to Ice skate and Christopher Dean has now been told that.
"He said to me at the end of the show last week 'would you be up for learning how to dance' and I said 'yeah', because that I would love.
"But what if I hurt myself. What if I broke something or hurt myself? Who would replace me? Who would it be? Could you imagine that. Well let's hope that doesn't happen. Even if I broke my leg, I'd still do the show."
Stephen admitted he said he would be “more generous” if he was a judge, describing some of the decisions so far as “harsh”.
“So I am watching (the skating) and some of the judges scores I think, wow, that's a bit harsh, because we're only in week two now," he said.
“We've seen six of each, and the judges, yeah I'm like, 'Wow, I thought they'd give more than that!'
“We'll have to see how the show goes on, but hopefully they'll be a bit more generous.
The humble Saturday Night Takeaway and In For A Penny star last year revived Deal Or No Deal for ITV.
The reboot coincided with Mulhern and his brother releasing a Deal Or No Deal card game through their company, Big Sky Games.
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He said growing up in a big family they always loved games, and he's been lucky enough to collaborate with the shows he's worked on and release game versions of them.
He said: “The only board game they'd had was when Noel Edmonds did it. So we've brought out a brand new version. And I am really excited to see people playing it."
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