Stephen Mulhern replaced by famous face for beloved ITV show role

Stephen Mulhern has stepped down from presenting the 2024 edition of The Big Soap Quiz following his father Christopher’s death. Each year, the TV presenter takes the reins of the beloved ITV show, however, according to The Sun, he is now set to be replaced by actress Sally Lindsay.

But this isn’t Sally’s first rodeo – the soap star played Shelley Unwin in Coronation Street from 2001 to 2006. The TV personality was also a regular panellist on ITV’s Loose Women between 2011 and 2014. Sally has also dabbled in presenting and took over from Richard Osman as a guest host on BBC’s Pointless. The Big Soap Quiz sees cast members from Coronation Street and Emmerdale battle it out by answering questions on the biggest soap moments of the year.

ITV are yet to announce this year’s team captains and cast members who will undertake the quiz; however, the hit show has previously featured Jack P. Shepherd, who plays David Platt on Corrie, and Mark Charnock,  who plays Marlon Dingle on Emmerdale.

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The news comes after Dancing on Ice presenter Stephen collapsed while eating at a Pizza Express in Berkshire. After being checked over by paramedics, Stephen was taken to hospital in an ambulance as a precaution. 

The collapse was thought to have been caused by a reaction Stephen had to an anaesthetic he had been given earlier in the day for an operation. 

It has been a challenging few weeks for the presenter, who has pulled out of several work commitments including with Butlin’s holiday parks last month. 

A representative for Stephen told HELLO!: “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.”

© Kieron McCarron

Fortunately, Stephen won’t be missing from our screens for too long as it was recently announced he will star alongside co-host Holly Willoughby for a reboot of the ITV game show, You Bet! which will air its first episode on December 7 at 8.15pm. 

When asked what it’s like working with his close friend Holly, Stephen told HELLO!, earlier this year: “She is beautiful and she has a great sense of humour. She’s caring. I think she’s an amazing mum. For me, she’s the complete package. She’s an amazing friend. We’re there for each other.”