Stephen Mulhern has revealed that he is still recovering after being punched by Ricky Hatton live on Dancing on Ice.
The TV presenter, 46, was the butt of the joke on the first episode of the new ITV series, when boxer Ricky appeared to smack Stephen down. The 45-year-old punched Mulhern in the arm, with the smack seeing him fall to the ground in a light-hearted skit.
During the on-air jibe, Ricky was brought in to hold a hanging microphone by Stephen – only to be made fun of by the host. As Stephen appeared to joke about being the new boss of the show, Holly Willoughby asked Hatton to knock him out, which he happily did and smacked Stephen to the ground.
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But despite taking a tumble in the sketch, Stephen admitted that the hit did actually hurt. He also admitted that he is still recovering from the strength of the blow.
(Image: ITV)
Speaking to The Sun, Stephen revealed that the idea came about during a rehearsal for the show. “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’,” he said.
“Obviously, I forgot he’s a three time world champion boxer,” he quipped. “He nearly knocked me out – if I showed you the bruise, it is massive,” he added, saying that it was “very painful”.
Co-host Holly was stunned at the strength of the blow, clasping her hands to her mouth and gasping as the audience erupted into laughter. As the show went to a break, Holly could be seen kneeling down to check on her co-star following the bash.
(Image: youtube/@DancingonIceFan)
Ever the funny guy, however, Stephen kept the joke going as when they returned to the show following the break, he could be seen rubbing his arm, quipping: “I’m going to get my lawyers involved!” Mulhern brought the joke back again on last Sunday’s edition (January 21) when he wore a hilarious protective costume to keep himself safe from Ricky’s strong fists.
Ricky’s time on the show, however, was short-lived as he became the first contestant to be booted from the show. After every celebrity couple had performed, the voting public put Ricky in the dreaded skate-off together with comedian Lou Sanders.
(Image: Kieron McCarron/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
However, despite his best efforts, Ricky failed to impress the judges and he was not saved, meaning he was the first celebrity to leave the rink. As a result, just eleven famous faces remain in the running to be crowned champion of Dancing on Ice for 2024.
Dancing on Ice airs every Sunday at 6:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
