he's back
Stephen Mulhern teases huge Saturday Night Takeaway comeback after breaking silence on Josie Gibson ‘romance’
Stephen and Josie were seen holding hands backstage
STEPHEN Mulhern has dropped a huge bombshell about the future of Saturday Night Takeaway.
The TV star worked on the much-loved show alongside Ant and Dec for 20 years before the show wrapped last month.
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On the final two-hour episode the presenters were left fighting back the tears.
But during an interview with Heart Radio, Stephen let slip a potential show secret.
Jamie Theakston asked: "So we mentioned earlier on, obviously, Saturday Night Takeaway is no longer with you. Are you going to miss that?"
Stephen replied: " Of course! Yeah. Listen, a massive part of my life and obviously Ant and Dec's 20 years. It was brilliant. We had the best best time and I do think it will come back.. honestly!"
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Surprised, Lindsey Russell quizzed Stephen for more information, to which he responded: "They did it before they rested it up for about three years just to revamp everything and I do think it will come back."
Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are said to already be working on a replacement for the show after it came to an end.
Now, while it is not clear what the replacement might be, there is clearly something in the works at the pair's company Mitre Studios.
The firm has now filed a request to trademark the name Belta Box - across a variety of spectrums including TV, radio, magazines, clothing and books as well as for online use.
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Ant & Dec's impressive career
ANT McPartlin and Declan Donnelly met on the set of Byker Grove in 1990.
The two went on to have chart success under their characters' names - including their 1994 No1 smash hit Let's Get Ready To Rhumble.
They haven't looked back since then, going on to present some of the most popular shows on TV.
Here's a rundown of some of their most popular shows - plus one "dud".
- The Ant & Dec Show - this late afternoon kids' entertainment series ran from 1995-1996 for 17 episodes
- Ant & Dec Unzipped - the twosome jumped from ITV to Channel 4 for this children's sketch show in 1997
- SM:TV Live - the duo teamed up with Cat Deeley in 1998 for Saturday morning mayhem including the classic Wonkey Donkey game
- Friends Like These - the Geordie pair hopped channels again, landing on BBC One to present this game show from 1999 until 2001
- Pop Idol - before The X Factor there was Pop Idol, which ran for two seasons in 2001 and 2002 and saw Michelle McManus and Will Young crowned the winners
- I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here - the reality TV show began in 2002, with Dec presenting all 23 seasons, even one without sidekick Ant as Holly Willoughby stepped up
- Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway - this show also began in 2002, but the lads said the 2024 offering would be their last
- PokerFace - Ant and Dec created this game show which aired from 2006-2007. with a top prize of £1million.
- Britain's Got Talent - the TV series began in 2007 with the pair's backstage antics loved by fans. They also took part in silly competitions on Stephen Mulhern's ITV spin-off Britain's Got More Talent
- Red Or Black - the show only aired for two seasons in 2011 and 2012. It was one of the pair's rare "flops" with Dec admitting "we got it wrong"
- Ant & Dec's Limitless Win - the pair had another success on their hands when this show hit screens in 2022
Belta is an adjective common in their northern dialect and means fantastic or excellent.
This comes after Stephen was seen holding hands backstage at Saturday Night Takeaway with This Morning's Josie Gibson.
Neither Stephen or Josie have denied or confirmed the rumours, but Stephen found himself being grilled during a TV interview.
Appearing on This Morning to promote his book Max Magic, Stephen was seen making use of the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) area set up for the show.
This prompted Ben to take a cheeky swipe at him, saying he was acting at home because he was "with one of our own".
Sitting up straight from a massage table, Stephen laughed off the comment and told Ben to "shut his face" before they went to a break.
The interview around the book continued smoothly until the show wound down and Cat and Ben were quick to bring up the rumours again, prompting Stephen to break his silence.
With only seconds before the end of the show, Stephen said: "Listen, she didn't turn up to rehearsals, I held her hand and I showed her where to stand. That is it. Finito!."
"Uh-huh, really. Your lips are sealed?" poked Cat, while Ben said, "Me thinks he protest too much."
As the pair burst into laughter, a flustered and red-faced Stephen asked: "Why are you doing this to me?! Unbelievable!"
With the show closing out, Cat could be heard asking for "thumbscrews" suggesting she'd torture the information out of him.
Josie and Stephen have both been keen to shake off the rumours, making a joke out of what was seen.
The pair have been friends for years as part of ITV’s stable of talent, appearing together on Saturday Night Takeaway, This Morning and Catchphrase together among other shows.
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Asked about their relationship status at the time, Josie, 39, joked: “I'm in love with Stephen Mulhern. There you go.”
She added to the : “But story of my life, I don't think he loves me.”
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