Dancing On Ice presenter Stephen Mulhern has had quite a year, from mourning the death of his father Christopher to experiencing a health scare of his own.
And to add insult to injury, key workers living in a Leicester property he owns went public with the physical and mental health concerns they’d been experiencing because of the condition of the flat.
The situation left them feeling “bitter and alienated”.
Stephen apologised stating he wasn’t aware of the issue.
Stephen mourns death of dad Christopher Mulhern
As a result of his father’s passing, Stephen took some time off work to be with his family.
The break coincided with a week’s scheduled performances at Butlin’s during October half term.
“Our thoughts are with Stephen and his family following the loss of his dad,” the resort told the Sussex Express.
“As Stephen will be taking some time off, we’ve contacted guests to update them that The Masked Singer Live will now be headlining their break.”
Stephen grew up in East London, and has described his late dad as “Del Boy from Only Fools and Horses”.
Christopher and his wife Maureen worked as a fly pitcher on Petticoat Lane.
“Crack of dawn, Dad was out there selling novelty toys or them slice-and-dice vegetable choppers – me and my brothers looking out for the police,” Stephen said, back in May.
“Dad would let me have a go on the stall, and that’s where I learnt how to perform in front of the hardest kind of audience: real people.”
As a result of his dad’s death – and a health scare of his own, on which more below – Stephen put aside his hosting duties on The Big Soap Quiz.
A representative of the TV presenter said he’d 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.”
November procedure leads to Pizza Express health scare
In early December, Stephen underwent a medical procedure that required the use of an anaesthetic.
Afterwards, he dined at a Pizza Express and enjoyed a few drinks.
The combination of the enduring stress incurred as a result of his father’s death, that of his medical situation, and the combination of being post-anaesthesia and having alcohol in his system made him feel unwell.
Stephen Mulhern was taken to hospital after a 999 call, as a precaution.
A spokesperson for the TV star told Metro that he’d been having “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.
“He is now back home recovering.”
Stephen didn’t acknowledge the incident in his next social media post, and has since returned to hosting.
Stephen Mulhern’s tenants call him a ‘millionaire profiting off our misery’
The Catchphrase and Dancing On Ice host has a property empire worth several million pounds.
He uses an external company to manage the various tenancies at his properties. As a result, he’s not intimately familiar with the state of each one.
However, it bit him on the bottom in October when two tenants in one of Stephen’s properties in Leicester went public with their complaints over the state of the home they were renting.
“We worked our butts off as key workers during Covid,” one of the tenants told the magazine. “My housemate for the NHS, and I in a factory producing disposable plastic accessories for hospitals, pulling extra shifts. And for what?
“Who tunes in to watch and support Stephen Mulhern while we’re paying him rent to live in squalor? It leaves me bitter and alienated,” they said.
When The Big Issue contacted Stephen Mulhern about the matter, he said he’d take matters “into his own hands”.
Meanwhile, his rep told us Stephen was “absolutely mortified to learn about this situation and the awful experience the tenant has faced which is clearly unacceptable”.
“This falls way below the standards Stephen expects,” his rep added. “He is doing everything possible to remedy this ASAP, and this process is already underway.”
Mulhern wishes his followers well on New Year’s Day
On January 1, 2025, Stephen Mulhern took to Instagram with a New Year’s message for his followers.
“Here’s to a year where we look after each other and make wonderful memories,” he wrote. “Hope it’s the best 2025 for us all! Happy New Year, everyone!”
In the comments, his fans wished him well in return.
Some thanked him for his work over the past year. Others offered words of consolation with regard to his dad.
Here’s hoping 2025 brings more shine and less rain – for Stephen just as much as the rest of us.
Read more: Huge five-figure sum Stephen Mulhern is earning each week ‘revealed’
What’s your favourite ever Stephen Mulhern role? Deal or No Deal, Dancing on Ice, or the enduring classic, Catchphrase? Let us know on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.