Stephen Mulhern's most brutal injuries including boxer punch and restaurant collapse

Stephen Mulhern has been on our screens for decades, hosting everything from Britain's Got More Talent and Big Star's Little Star, to Catchphrase, Deal or No Deal, and Dancing on Ice. While presenting might seem like a pretty low-risk career, the 48-year-old has seen his fair share of injuries and illness over the years. Stephen has been open about the mishaps, including taking a punch to the arm, almost getting hit by a bus, and risking a serious vocal chord injury. Let's take a look...

Boxer punch

Last January, the presenter was left with bruises after being punched by boxer Ricky Hatton on air. The sportsman gave Stephen a playful punch while on Dancing on Ice, but it ended up being much harder than expected.

Stephen told The Sun at the time: "I said to Ricky, do us a favour... Holly will say to you 'just punch him Ricky', which she said off the cuff initially and I said 'we should do that live'. Obviously I forgot he's a three time world champion boxer." He explained that he had nearly been "knocked out" and was left with a "massive" bruise on his arm.

Restaurant collapse

In November, Stephen was at a Pizza Express when he suddenly collapsed and was taken to hospital. Paramedics took Stephen from the restaurant in Sunningdale, to Frimley Park hospital in Surrey.

A source later told The Sun that Stephen had been "grieving the loss of his dad" and had been battling "several well-documented health problems". On the day of the incident, Stephen had undergone a procedure requiring local anaesthetic. The source explained: "He took himself off for a quiet, solo dinner that evening, had a few drinks and just reacted incredibly badly."

Mystery illness

In March 2022, Stephen missed two episodes of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway after falling ill. He explained upon his return that he had been sick and shared on social media: "Hello all, sorry I've been quiet on here recently and thank you for all your lovely messages."

Stephen told fans: "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."

Close call with a bus

In 2020 whilst on a trip to the US, Stephen was nearly hit by a bus in New York. He told The Times that he had gone to walk across a road in Times Square but forgot that cars drive on the other side of the road and traffic therefore moves in the other direction.

He explained: "I felt a bus go past my nose, it was that close - a friend of mine pulled me back just in time."

Voice injury

When filming for Britain's Got More Talent in 2018, Stephen was forced to stop filming after losing his voice and receiving a strict warning from doctors. The presenter told Digital Spy that being unable to speak was "the most frustrating thing ever".

He said: "I was told that if I didn't stop speaking completely for two weeks then I could permanently damage my vocal chords. So, I couldn't talk at all, not even a whisper because apparently that's even worse than trying to talk."

The situation meant that he was required to miss four days of filming for the first time in 12 years.