The TV star has been on our screens with his positive energy for two decades, but what do we know about his love life?

Stephen Mulhern been a familiar face on our TV screens for two decades. The beloved TV star, 47, first rose to fame on children’s TV two decades ago and later became known for his magic talents.

He’s gone on to host popular shows like Catchphrase, In For a Penny, Deal or No Deal and Dancing on Ice, and also appears with pals Ant and Dec regularly on Saturday Night Takeaway. And now he’s back on our screens with Holly Willoughby for new show You Bet!.

The reboot of the game show which sees contestants face extraordinary challenges for the chance to win £10,000 kicks off tonight on ITV1 at 8.15pm. The TV star, who was recently hospitalised after collapsing at a restaurant following the sad death of his father, keeps much of his personal life private, but has previously shared some insights into his love life.

Below we look at his former romance with a famous soap star and who he described as the love of his life.

Stephen Mulhern’s famous ex

Stephen hasn’t been publicly linked to anyone since his relationship with EastEnders star Emma Barton, who plays Honey Mitchell on the BBC soap. They were said to have split in 2011.

He later said the relationship had come to a natural end. A few years back, Stephen revealed how his challenging work schedule impacted on his love life

The TV star was also linked to This Morning star Josie Gibson earlier this year after they were spotted holding hands backstage at Stephen’s show Saturday Night Live in April. Dismissing the rumours, Stephen later said on This Morning: “Listen, she didn’t turn up to rehearsals, I held her hand and I showed her where to stand. That is it. Finito!.”

Speaking to MailOnline, Josie joked: “I’m in love with Stephen Mulhern. There you go. But, story of my life, I don’t think he loves me.”

Stephen Mulhern’s ‘love of my life’

In a 2020 interview, when quizzed about the love of his life, Stephen didn’t mention any romantic partners. Instead, he endearingly selected his sister Suzie, humorously questioning if that was slightly odd. He once spoke about his siblings telling fans on Twitter: “How many siblings do I have? There seems to be lots of different answers to this online, but the truth is that I have two brothers and a sister! Vinny, Christopher and Susie! Case closed! Have a lovely day you lot x”

In a cheeky exchange with The Sun in 2020 regarding his sex life, Stephen retorted with a humorous response: “Not enough!” He also told Celebs Now in 2022 that he hadn’t been on a date for around four years, adding: “That makes me sound really sad! I need a life. I need to stop working so much.”

Stephen also revealed he wasn’t looking for love and hated the idea of onling dating, saying: “I think it’s a bit weird someone from the TV doing online dating. I think it’d be bizarre.”