Stephen Mulhern has ‘stepped down from hosting ITV’s The Big Soap Quiz’ following the death of his father, Christopher.  

The presenter, 47, known for fronting shows like Catchphrase, Dancing on Ice, and Deal or No Deal, has faced a challenging few weeks after his heartbreaking loss.

According to The Sun former Coronation Street star Sally Lindsay, 51, will take over hosting duties for the 2024 edition.

Sally is no stranger to the soap world, having played Shelley Unwin on the cobbles from 2001 to 2006.

The Big Soap Quiz pits stars from Coronation Street against their Emmerdale counterparts in a battle of soap knowledge.

The show traditionally features team captains Jack P. Shepherd, who plays David Platt on Corrie, and Mark Charnock, best known as Marlon Dingle from Emmerdale.

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Stephen Mulhern has ‘stepped down from hosting ITV’s The Big Soap Quiz’ following the death of his father, Christopher

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The presenter, 47, known for fronting shows like Catchphrase, Dancing on Ice, and Deal or No Deal, has faced a challenging few weeks after his heartbreaking loss (pictured with his father Christopher in 2023)

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Former Coronation Street star Sally Lindsay, 51, is thought to be taking over hosting duties for this year whilst Stephen takes some time off

However, ITV has yet to announce this year’s team captains or which cast members will face questions on the biggest soap highlights of the yea

MailOnline has contacted ITV, Stephen and Sally’s representatives for comment.

Stephen, who usually keeps his personal life private, was reported to have been hospitalised on Wednesday after he collapsed while eating at a Pizza Express.

The TV favourite reacted to an anesthetic he had earlier in the day while having a drink.

According to The Sun, an ambulance was called for Stephen after staff became concerned for him at around 8pm.

As a precaution, he was taken from Sunningdale, Berks, to nearby Frimley Park hospital in Camberley, Surrey after being checked over by paramedics.

A source said: ‘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.

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Stephen, who usually keeps his personal life private, was reported to have been hospitalised on Wednesday after he collapsed while eating at a Pizza Express

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The TV presenter who is mourning the death of his father, reacted to an anesthetic he had earlier in the day while having a drink (pictured with his father in 2018)

‘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.’

After paramedics helped Stephen, he was put on the phone to his mother to assure her that he was OK.

He is now at home resting up and is mortified to have had such a public reaction to the anesthetic. 

A spokeserspon for Stephen told MailOnline: ‘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.’

Stephen has been receiving continuous support from his team, ITV bosses and long-term friend and colleague Holly Willoughby.

The Deal Or No Deal star was born in east London in 1977 to market trader parents Christopher and Maureen.

He started off as a magician before going on to become one of Britain’s most popular TV presenters.

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Stephen has been receiving continuous support from his team, ITV bosses and long-term friend and colleague Holly Willoughby (pictured with Holly on Dancing On Ice in February, 2024)

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He has credited his success to his parents saying: ‘I don’t mean to sound soppy, but they worked so incredibly hard to bring up me and my two brothers and sister.’

He has credited his success to his parents saying: ‘I don’t mean to sound soppy, but they worked so incredibly hard to bring up me and my two brothers and sister.’

Stephen began his career on CITV in 1998, working on children’s TV show Finger Tips with Fearne Cotton. He also enjoyed a solo presenting stint with children’s show Tricky TV from 2005 to 2010 and co-hosted Holly & Stephen’s Saturday Showdown (originally called Ministry of Mayhem) with Holly Willoughby in the Noughties.

He made the leap to adults TV in 2006 when he presented the ITV2 spin-off Dancing on Ice: Defrosted, while former co-host Holly and Phillip Schofield hosted the main show.

He also worked alongside the pair when he presented inside The Hub, a small segment on This Morning.

Stephen landed another spin-off the following year, hosting ITV2 spin-off Britain’s Got More Talent, while the main show was presented by Ant & Dec.

His first primetime hosting gig came in 2010 when he fronted Magic Numbers on ITV and three years later he landed the revived version of ITV game show Catchphrase.

Other notable shows helmed by Stephen include ITV’s Big Star’s Little Star, Sunday Side Up, Get Your Act Together and ITV2 panel show Reality Bites.

He nabbed more work alongside Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly in 2016 when he took over Ashley Robert’s role as the presenter of the Ant vs Dec segment on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.

Another segment he hosted on the show, In For A Penny, went on to land its own stand alone show, with Stephen at the helm.

As well as TV work, Stephen hosted Sunday Mornings on Heart Radio with Emma Willis for six years until 2018 and is a regular stand-in on Virgin Radio UK.