TV star Stephen Mulhern has opened up about no longer working alongside Holly Willoughby as he prepares to step out of his comfort zone.

Over the years, Holly and Stephen have remained good friends and have regularly hosted alongside one another. After working on Dancing On Ice for the past couple of series, it was announced that the ITV skating show had been axed.

Last year, Holly and Stephen teamed up to host the relaunch of ITV’s You Bet! However, it has since been revealed that Holly had decided to ditch the show and leave pal Stephen to present it alone.

Stephen Mulhern reacts to Holly Willoughby stepping down from role

In a new interview, Stephen admitted he was “gutted” that Holly decided to step down from her role.

“I’m gutted she’s not doing You Bet! with me, but I’ve had time to think about it and Bruce Forsyth was the first person to do You Bet! and he did it on his own,” he told TV Biz.

Looking on the positive side of things, Stephen said: “Maybe it happened for a reason. We’ve filmed one episode already without Holly, and it felt very comfortable. Maybe it is just a one-presenter show.”

Stephen admitted Holly did get in touch with him and arranged to break the news. He explained: “She just said: ‘Look, sorry, I can’t do it.’ She told me face to face. She said: ‘Look, I’m gutted but it’s all over.’”