Stephen Mulhern has broken his silence after being taken to hospital at the end of last month following an “incredibly tough time”.
The Deal or No Deal presenter, 47, was dining out following an operation at the end of November when 999 was called. Reports claim he “reacted badly” after having a few drinks. He was then taken to hospital “as a precaution”.
However, Stephen – who is on screens on December 28 for Deal or No Deal – has made a return to social media.
Stephen Mulhern in hospital dash
On November 28, a spokesperson for Stephen told Metro: “Stephen has had an incredibly tough time over the past few weeks. His beloved father recently passed away which has hit him hard and has been understandably very stressful.
“In addition he had a procedure which took place yesterday (Wednesday). Following the anaesthetic that was administered, he had a few drinks which made him unwell and he was taken in to hospital as a precaution.”
They added: “He is now back home recovering.”
Meanwhile, a source spoke to The Sun about the incident.
They claimed: “Stephen has been going through an incredibly tough time of late. He is grieving the loss of his dad to whom he was so, so close. He’s also been battling several well-documented health problems, and on Wednesday morning had a procedure requiring a local anaesthetic.
“He took himself off for a quiet, solo dinner that evening, had a few drinks and just reacted incredibly badly. He’s only human, and his dad’s death has hit him hard.”
They added: “Stephen immediately felt unwell and concerned staff came over, and called 999. Paramedics checked him over and took him to hospital as a precaution. He was also put on the phone to his mum to reassure her that he was OK.”
Read more: Stephen Mulhern halts Deal or No Deal and apologises as player left in tears
The insider claimed that Stephen is “so grateful for the care he received, and is mortified that he had such an awful — and public — reaction to the anaesthetic”.
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Social media return
Ahead of his TV return for You Bet! at the start of December, Stephen took to Instagram to promote the show.
“You Bet! is back, and it’s bigger than ever! Hosting this show is a dream come true, and doing it with @hollywilloughby makes it even better. Tune in tonight at 8:15pm on @itv and @itvxofficial – I can’t wait for you to see it!” his account shared.
Holly was among those in the comments. She shared: “Can’t wait for this.”
Others wished the presenter well. One commented: “Can’t wait Stephen it’s going to be amazing. Sending you lots of love.” Another added: “Good luck Stephen you bet I’ll be watching pal hope you’re well.” Another simply added: “I love you Stephen Mulhern.”
It comes after Stephen was replaced by ITV on The Big Soap Quiz.
Send your well wishes to Stephen on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.