TV presenter Stephen Mulhern has confirmed that he is in talks to replace Phillip Schofield as presenter for reality competition Dancing On Ice.
The ITV skating competition, which has been running for 16 seasons, has seen a rotating cast of hosts and judges over the years including former Strictly professional Oti Mabuse, Britain’s Got Talent winner Ashley Banjo and pro skaters Torvill and Dean.
It has historically been fronted by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield – but Phillip left ITV in May after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a junior member of staff.
Now, Stephen, who previously stood in for Phillip when he contracted Covid during the 2022 series, has confirmed (via Daily Mail) that he is in talks to become his permanent replacement.
“’We are talking about it,” the host of former Dancing on Ice spinoff Defrosted revealed. “But I promise you now that nothing is confirmed but if it happens, it will be absolutely amazing… if it doesn’t, look, it doesn’t. I promise you I would tell you if we had it confirmed at this point.”
Stephen continued: “’The lineup is the best it has been in a few years… I am keeping across the lineup, just in case… It is a huge staple, and it has been around.”
The 46-year-old also added that he “really enjoyed” standing in for Phil when the latter was unwell, and that it was “lovely” presenting alongside Holly, who he previously worked with on Saturday morning kids’ TV show Ministry Of Mayhem in the noughties.
“We had a great time together,” he concluded.
ITV declined to comment when contacted by HuffPost UK.
There is still uncertainty over whether Holly will return to the rink this time around, however, after she resigned from This Morning in October following an alleged plot to kidnap her.
The lineup for next year’s series has already been announced, with 12 celebrities donning their skates for the first time.
They include Olympian Greg Rutherford, former Love Island winner Amber Davies, S Club 7 star Hannah Spearritt, comedian Lou Sanders, Radio 1’s Adele Roberts, Made in Chelsea’s Milez Nazaire, Gogglebox star Stephen Lustig-Webb. boxer Ricky Hatton and soap stars Claire Sweeney, Ricky Norwood, Roxy Shahidi and Ryan Thomas.
The series will return to ITV1 and ITVX in early 2024 – though no exact dates have yet been confirmed.