Stephen Mulhern's 'worrying illness' that forced him off TV as fans rush to offer support

Dancing On Ice host Stephen Mulhern was hospitalised this week, but it's not the first time the Deal Or No Deal star has suffered issues with his health

Stephen Mulhern addressed a mystery illness that forced him off air .

This week, the 47-year-old Deal Or No Deal star was rushed to hospital after reportedly collapsing in a Pizza Express restaurant on Wednesday.

Stephen has had a tough few weeks after losing his beloved father and was initially believed to have suffered a bad reaction to some medication after having a few drinks with his meal. Earlier in the day he underwent a procedure for which he was administered an anaesthetic.

And in November last year, Stephen broke his silence on the 'worrying' illness that forced him off air in 2022. The TV host was once again taken to hospital with a mystery medical condition in March of that year and had to spend a few weeks recovering on 'doctor’s orders.'

Fans first realised something was up when Stephen was absent from a few episodes of Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway .

After missing three weeks of telly, Stephen finally posted a message to fans reassuring them he was okay. Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter , he said: “Hello all, Sorry I’ve been quiet on here recently and thank you for all your lovely messages. I’ve had some time off and been resting up on doctor’s orders."

He added: "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. X.”

It was first reported on Thursday that Pizza Express staff became concerned for the telly favourite's welfare, so called an ambulance at around 8pm the night prior. After being checked over by paramedics, Stephen was taken to a hospital in Surrey and checked over as a precaution. The star was then sent home.

A source told The Mirror earlier this week: "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 taken in to hospital as a precaution. He is now back home recovering."

Fans have since flooded Stephen’s Instagram profile with support, with one saying beneath his most recent post, uploaded a week ago: “Wishing you a speedy recovery Stephen.” Another echoed: “Sending all my love to you stephen love you so much.” Other comments included: “Get well soon,” and “Love you Stephen.”

Stephen’s close pal Holly Willoughby , who he co-hosts new game show You Bet! with, is said to have continuously supported Stephen - who has had several health problems over the past few years.

Since his 2022 health scare, Stephen revealed he had put measures in place to make sure he can complete long days of filming. He said at the time: “Now we’re all right. But it wasn’t good. It was a bit of a worrying time.”

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