Holly Willoughby has reflected on the “fun moments” she shared with Stephen Mulhern while filming rebooted ITV show You Bet!, saying they “couldn’t help but play along and compete with each other”.
The Saturday night entertainment show, which originally aired from 1988 to 1997 with hosts including the late Sir Bruce Forsyth, will return to TV screens next month.
Earlier in the year, TV host Willoughby, 43, and Mulhern hosted Dancing On Ice with Mulhern replacing Phillip Schofield after he resigned from the broadcaster having admitted to a relationship with a younger male This Morning employee.
Willoughby had presented on ITV’s flagship morning programme, alongside Schofield, for more than a decade before her departure in October last year.
Willoughby and Mulhern, 47, presented ITV Saturday morning children’s show Ministry Of Mayhem together from 2004. The show was later titled Holly & Stephen’s Saturday Showdown.
Willoughby said: “It’s lovely working with Stephen.
“We started working together when I was in my 20s and have known each other for a very long time.
“There were lots of fun moments when filming this show together, we couldn’t help but play along and compete with each other.”
The show sees ordinary people take on challenges, with a star-studded panel and studio audience betting on whether they will fulfil their task.
Mulhern said: “Holly and I love working together and we had so much fun on the show.
“But some of the challenges are really nail-biting and we were literally hanging onto each other.
“In one challenge the challenger is attempting to scale the outside of a multi-storey car park to get to the top faster than a professional driver can drive up it.
Stephen Mulhern co-presents alongside Holly Willoughby (Ian West/PA)
“The climber slipped, the driver was almost hitting the posts, we could hardly watch, so I’m so glad we had each other for support.”
The first celebrity panel is comprised of comedian Rob Beckett, This Morning presenter Alison Hammond, former football manager Harry Redknapp and podcast host Rosie Ramsey.
Beckett will also make an appearance in the second episode, alongside footballer Mary Earps, Loose Women’s Judi Love and singer Olly Murs.
Among the challengers are Martin and Trixie, from Reading, who make a bet that they can identify any cacti from their collection with just their tongues.
There is also skilled construction plant operator Will Power, from Kent, who bets he can use his digger to set off three fireworks while doing a wheelie.
The audience’s favourite challenger of the night wins £10,000 while the celebrity with the lowest score has to do a forfeit and perform with the cast of a major West End musical unrehearsed.
The first episode of You Bet! will air on ITV1 and ITVX on December 7.