Inside Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern’s 20-year friendship as pair will host Dancing on Ice

Dancing on Ice fans were gifted a very special treat this week when it was officially confirmed that Holly Willoughby would be returning to present the show, this time alongside Stephen Mulhern.

Up until the official announcement, doubts had been raised about whether or not Holly would be returning to the show following her departure from This Morning earlier this year. It has now been confirmed that the star will continue in her iconic Dancing on Ice role, this time alongside her former CITV co-host Stephen.

Katie Rawcliffe, head of entertainment commissioning at ITV, said: “Holly and Stephen are two of our best loved presenters, so reuniting them 20 years after they first appeared on screen together to host Dancing On Ice marks the start of an exciting year for the show.”

The partnership also carries with it an especially poignant twist in 2024, as it will mark 20 years since the pair first presented alongside each other on Saturday morning show Ministry of Mayhem, which famously took over the SM:TV Live slot from presenting legends Ant and Dec.

Here, we take a closer look back at their friendship over the years…

Ministry of Mayhem

Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern first crossed paths all the way back in January 2004, when the couple launched Saturday Morning kids show, Ministry of Mayhem on ITV.

The show, which later became known as Holly & Stephen’s Saturday Showdown, saw the dynamic duo regularly interact with their young viewers in a variety of skits while also providing links between an array of programmes which included My Parents are Aliens, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, SpongeBob Squarepants and All Grown Up! to name just a few.

The show ran for two years in total, with the first year also seeing Michael Underwood present alongside the duo until he stepped away from the show on 18 December 2004 to join GMTV instead.

The final episode aired on 1 July 2006 and ended Holly and Stephen’s on-screen tenure together.

Viral Kiss

While working together on Ministry of Mayhem, Holly and Stephen shared one bizarre festive exchange in which Stephen kissed Holly five times on the lips in a moment that later went viral.

During a skit, Holly unwrapped a Christmas present at her co-star’s request which contained a Christmas hat with mistletoe dangling from the front.

Clearly amused, Holly then declared: “Hooray for me! I can kiss all the boys in the world all the time.”

Immediately after the declaration, Stephen went in for a kiss himself, prompting Holly to tell him: “You don’t count.”

Unwilling to admit defeat, Stephen then told Holly: “Whoever you’re underneath the mistletoe with, you must kiss” and delivered another peck.

The same behaviour continued and after growing noticeably frustrated, Holly took off the hat and declared that Stephen was “definitely on the naughty list.”

Off-screen friendship

Although the kiss may have raised some eyebrows among viewers a home, it clearly didn’t appear to faze either Holly or Stephen as their friendship off-screen continued long after their presenting days had ended on the show.

Reflecting on her time presenting the show with Stephen, Holly told The Daily Mail back in 2019: “There were times when we went straight from the hotel bar to going live on air.

“Everyone in children’s TV drinks until 5am. If you mess up, no one cares. It got a bit too wild when my breast popped out of my dress.

“It doesn’t help when you read the script and you’ve got to drink anchovies in custard with some eight year old. No matter how hard you scrub in the shower, you can’t get the smell of custard pie off your skin.”

After parting ways in 2006, Holly and Stephen continued to maintain a close bond with Stephen even going on to reveal how his former co-star was always the one he could turn to for advice when faced with a problem.

Describing her as a “proper mate”, Stephen even opened up to The Sun about the pair’s enduring friendship back in 2014.

He told the publication: ‘”Ant and Dec, Emma Willis and Holly Willoughby are proper mates. But that’s about it.

“If I had a problem I’d go to Holly, and if I want advice that makes no sense and probably makes things worse, I’ll ask Ant and Dec.”

Over the past decade, sadly Holly and Stephen have rarely crossed paths on screen, but have occasionally managed to reunite on Celebrity Juice, This Morning and Dancing On Ice.

Dancing on Ice

As of January 2024, Holly and Stephen will once again be returning to their presenting roots as they join forces to present the latest series of Dancing on Ice.

Although the pair are the official hosts this series, eagle-eyed viewers may recall this isn’t the first time Stephen has presented the show alongside Holly, as he previously stepped in to the role last year to provide cover for former host Phillip Schofield when he was struck down with Covid.

During that episode, a delighted Stephen paid tribute to his enduring friendship with Holly as he asked her: “Can you believe it’s 16 years since we worked together on kids TV?”

To which a delighted Holly replied: “I know! We’re grownups now!”

Holly previously co-hosted the show with Phillip Schofield for much of the series’ history, having only stepped away to take maternity leave in 2014.

Phillip meanwhile presented every series of the show, until he was axed from the role. He left ITV earlier this year after he admitted having an affair with a younger male former colleague on This Morning.