Inside Stephen Mulhern’s personal life from early career to romantic relationships

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Stephen Mulhern has been a mainstay on British television for nearly 30 years years (Picture: Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images)

Stephen Mulhern has been a fixture on our TV screens since the late nineties – so what do we know about the 49-year-old’s personal life?

Since starting his career on CITV, he has presented the likes of Dancing on Ice, Britain’s Got More Talent, Catchphrase and Deal Or No Deal.

But he’s not just a TV host – Stephen has appeared in pantomimes (where he met an ex-girlfriend – more on that later), performs magic, and has built up a property portfolio worth over £4m according to company filings.

The ITV star is good friends with Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, and has regularly collaborated with the I’m A Celebrity hosts – most recently on a new series of Accidental Tourist.

His show with the Geordie duo sees the beige-food-loving Stephen trying new tastes and experiences in locations across the world.

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After the success of season one which took him to South Korea, the channel has commissioned another three specials in more foreign surroundings.

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Stephen is the unofficial third member of Ant and Dec’s relationship (Picture: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
From Remarkable Entertainment Deal Or No Deal: SR2 on ITV1 and ITVX Pictured: Stephen Mulhern. This photograph is (C) Remarkable Entertainment and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on the website www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms For further information please contact: james.hilder@itv.com
He has filled the shoes of Noel Edmonds as Deal or No Deal’s new host (Picture: ITV)

Where is Stephen Mulhern from?

It all started for Stephen in Stratford, East London.

The You Bet! host was born on April 4 1977 in the borough of Newham and grew up with his market trader parents and three siblings, Vinny, Christopher and Susie.

His late father was into magic and would perform a trick rather than a bedtime story, he told The Sun.

This had a big influence on Stephen, who developed a passion for and belief in the craft from an early age.

At the age of 16, he was scouted at a Butlin’s talent show, where he holidayed with his family, and went on to become one of their Redcoat entertainers, as he had always wanted.

He’s still performing the stuff now and will star on board the P&O cruise ships this summer with his new magic show.

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Stephen is a performer by origin (Picture: David Lodge/FilmMagic)

What was the breakthrough of his TV career?

After earning his stripes at the family resort, Stephen went on to have a successful career a children’s TV presenter.

His first big break came in 1998, when he began presenting for CITV alongside Danielle Nicholls.

They hosted on the recently extinct channel until 2001 and have remained close pals since.

It was on that channel that Stephen met some of his current TV colleagues, like Holly Willoughby, with whom he fronted a chaos-filled Saturday morning show.

After this, he went on to become the face of spin-offs of popular talent shows like Dancing on Ice: Defrosted and Britain’s Got More Talent, where Stephen gave viewers behind-the-scenes action and exclusive access.

His goofy persona lent itself well to the prankster energy that was needed for interactions with judges like Simon Cowell and the silliness required to chat with some of the more unusual acts on the extra BGT show.

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The presenter isn’t afraid to poke fun at himself (Picture: Eamonn McCormack/Getty Images)
Editorial use only Mandatory Credit: Photo by Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock (15166277ms) Stephen Mulhern and Holly Willoughby 'Dancing on Ice' TV Show, Series 17, Episode 8, Hertfordshire, UK - 02 Mar 2025
Stephen and Holly started off presenting together in the noughties and recently hosted Dancing On Ice as a pair (Picture: Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock)

Does he have a partner?

Stephen is thought to currently be single.

In 2008, he appeared in a pantomime of Snow White, where he met his ex-girlfriend, Emma Barton.

The soap star and Stephen were performing together at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, Kent, and began dating that same year.

However, their relationship finished in 2011, with Stephen saying that it ‘came to a natural end’.

In 2024, he was rumoured to be dating fellow ITV star Josie Gibson after they were spotted holding hands outside the BBC studios.

Editorial use only Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock (16390786j) Josie Gibson 'This Morning' TV show, London, UK - 22 Jan 2026
Stephen shut down rumours he was dating fellow ITV colleague, Josie (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

Speaking to This Morning about the media frenzy that followed, Stephen said to Cat Deeley: ‘Listen, she didn’t show up to rehearsals, I held her hand, and I showed her where to stand. That is it!’

What has he said about his love life?

Throughout his career, Stephen has remained tight-lipped about his private life, including any romantic connections.

Back in 2014, Stephen made a statement about not having a partner and wanting kids in an interview with The Mirror.

Editorial use only Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock (16851470v) Stephen Mulhern 'This Morning' TV show, London, UK - 29 Apr 2026
The magician hasn’t ever said much about any romantic endeavours (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

He remarked at the time: ‘Do I miss having a partner? Not really, and I think that’s because I’m very busy.’

Stephen continued: ‘There’s plenty of time for that yet, and would I like kids one day? Absolutely. Of course.’

The In for a Penny host then went on to refer to his former boss Simon, who became a first-time dad aged 54: ‘Simon is an example of that.’

Stephen still has half a decade left if he’s continuing to work to the same time frame!

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