Dancing on Ice host Stephen Mulhern responds after Ricky Hatton ‘punches’ him live on ITV show
Stephen Mulhern has reacted following his first appearance on Dancing on Ice, where Ricky Hatton apparently "hit" him.
The presenter appeared on the latest ITV skating contest together with his previous colleague Holly Willoughby. She made her return to television after leaving This Morning in October.
Mulhern has received a warm welcome from the people of Willoughby, as he takes on the role of replacing Phillip Schofield. Schofield resigned from ITV in 2023, after he disclosed that he had engaged in an "unwise but not illegal affair" with a male colleague who was younger, during their tenure on This Morning daytime show.
Six out of the twelve famous people who were supposed to take part in the event showed up and displayed their skating skills after undergoing training for a few weeks. However, one well-known personality had to back out of the competition. Former welterweight boxer Hatton stood out from all the others in the audience's minds because of what happened during a presentation he was involved in.
During a seemingly planned performance, Mulhern requested Hatton to grip onto a microphone as if it were a boxing commentator's tool. Once Mulhern was done speaking to the camera, Hatton placed the microphone back in its original position.
Mulhern had taken hold of the microphone and given it back forcefully three separate times. Throughout this, he did not seem to be impressed and made unpleasant faces towards the camera. After that, Hastton hit Mulhern's arm. Nonetheless, it seemed as though the hit was more intense than initially planned, resulting in Mulhern collapsing onto the ground. This left Willoughby in a state of astonishment.
Following the broadcast, a tweet was sent out by Hatton on their social media platform, stating that Ricky had managed to deliver powerful punches on the show Dancing on Ice. The tweet was directed towards Stephen Mulhern with well wishes for his safety.
Mulhern reacted to the incident that was labeled as "hysterical" by the audience and said, "I can see bruises already forming!".
In reaction to the incident on social media, a person commented: "The script likely indicates that Ricky Hatton pushed Stephen Mulhern lightly." Another individual stated: "I think Stephen Mulhern's arm must now be numb after Ricky Hatton landed a heavy blow on him during #DancingOnIce."
In the beginning of the show, Willoughby exclaimed: "Let's go! Welcome to the most amazing ice show, and let's also give a warm welcome to Stephen Mulhern!"
In the TV show 'Dancing on Ice' aired by ITV, Ricky Hatton physically attacked Stephen Mulhern.
The duo has previously hosted Dancing on Ice together on more than one occasion. During the year 2022, before Schofield's departure from ITV, Mulhern filled in as co-host alongside Willoughby after Schofield received a positive result on his Covid-19 test.
It was announced in December 2023 that Willoughby would be the sole presenter of Dancing On Ice, as Schofield would no longer be joining her. The pair had been hosting the show together since 2006.
