Stephen Mulhern addressed his illness and absence from our TV screens as he returned to Saturday Night Takeaway. He told the audience: "Seriously, I haven't been too well" as he took to the stage with Ant and Dec for the first time since the ITV programme's first episode.
Fans of ITV's hit Saturday night show with Ant and Dec were delighted to see the comedic duo's fellow presenter back on the screen this evening. The popular London-born presenter, comedian and magician, 44, had missed the last few episodes of the series due to illness, with doctors having advised him to rest and recuperate at home.
In a post on Twitter on March 12, Stephen said: "Hello all, sorry I’ve been quiet on here [social media] recently and thank you for all your lovely messages. I’ve had some time off and been resting up on doctors orders. I’m on the mend, I’m happy to say, and looking forward to getting back to work soon. In the meantime, I’ll put my feet up and watch Saturday Night Takeaway tonight with the rest of you lot. Please don’t miss me too much! Lots of love, Stephen. X"
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Tonight, he hosted a game of Ant vs Dec in the dark, which saw the Geordie duo battling to find each other in a pitch-black room. And Stephen looked in good health after being ordered by doctors to take a break from his TV work.
Addressing his illness, Ant asked: "Stephen we haven't seen you since the start of the show. Where have you been?"
Stephen joked: "When your private jet breaks down in Hollywood what can you do?!" He then addressed his illness as he told viewers: "No seriously I haven't been too well. Thanks for all your lovely messages."
The Catchphrase presenter added: "Enough about all that now because the show must go on!" Ant then told him: "We're over the moon to have you back, us and the audience."
Stephen's return was confirmed by Ant and Dec on their Twitter page today (Saturday, March 26). Shortly after 2pm, the pair shared a short video clip of them running around the television studios where the series is filmed, telling crew "Saturday Night Take Away is back tonight." At three different points of the clip, the pair can be seen in their dressing room backstage with Stephen - subtly telling us that he is on-set ready to return for tonight's episode.
ITV had also confirmed that Stephen, who also presents Catchphrase and Celebrity Catchphrase and was often seen on children's TV in the mid to late 2000s, would be making a return tonight. A spokesperson for ITV said: "Stephen Mulhern is back with brand new Ant vs Dec and Michael Bublé will be with us for a very special End of the Show Show."
Stephen has not yet shared publicly what he has been suffering from, but a source reportedly told The Sun on Sunday earlier this month that Stephen had had to have an operation. The source reportedly said: "Stephen went to hospital for a medical procedure, but has been discharged now and is focusing all his energy on his recovery. He’s hoping to return to the show as soon as he’s feeling better and well enough. He’s currently resting up and supporting the lads from home."
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