Holly Willoughby to return to Dancing on Ice and she has a new co-host

'20 years since they first worked together...'

Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern

by Ben Pulsford |
Updated on

ITV has confirmed that Holly Willoughby will return to the channel in January to reclaim her role as host of Dancing on Ice following her dramatic fall out with her former DOI co-host Phillip Schofield and shock This Morning exit earlier this year.

In the same announcement, ITV confirmed that Holly's friend Stephen Mulhern will join her as co-host in the coming weeks, replacing Philip.

ITV made the announcement via social media, sharing a picture of Holly and Stephen together and writing, “20 years since they first worked together, Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern join forces for the greatest show on ice.”

Stephen Mulhern and Holly Willoughby
Stephen Mulhern and Holly Willoughby ©(Photo by Claire Greenway/Getty Images)

Moments before the official statement was made public, ITV's head of entertainment commissioning, Katie Rawcliffe, said "Holly and Stephen are two of our best loved presenters, so reuniting them 20 years after they first appeared on screen together to host Dancing on Ice marks the start of an exciting year for the show."

This news follows weeks of speculation regarding who will host the popular series following Holly and Phil’s public fall-out.

The pair have hosted the show together since 2006, while co-hosting this Morning, and were a staple of the series as a duo.

Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield earlier this year
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield earlier this year ©(Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)

Holly surprised fans in October when she announced that she wouldn’t be returning to This Morning. Her decision came after a difficult year, with her former co-host and BFF Phillip Schofield quitting the show in May following revelations over his “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague.

Dancing on Ice will return to ITV for its 16th series, with the likes of Hannah Spearritt, Miles Nazaire and Adele Roberts all set to take to the ice.

At the time of publication neither Holly, Stephen nor Phil had spoken publicly about the Dancing on Ice shake-up.

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