Holly Willoughby to make TV return on Dancing On Ice alongside Stephen Mulhern

Holly Willoughby will return to television to present Dancing On Ice with Stephen Mulhern in January, ITV has announced.

Mulhern will replace Phillip Schofield, who left ITV earlier this year after he admitted having an affair with a younger male former colleague on This Morning.

Schofield had presented the ice skating competition alongside Willoughby since 2006.

Willoughby has been absent from screens since she also left This Morning in October following 14 years on the sofa.

The new line-up marks a reunion for Willoughby and Mulhern after they first worked together on Saturday morning children’s show Ministry Of Mayhem 20 years ago.

The show was later titled Holly & Stephen’s Saturday Showdown.

Katie Rawcliffe, head of entertainment commissioning at ITV, 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.”

Mulhern briefly hosted alongside Willoughby on the ITV skating competition in 2022 after Schofield tested positive for Covid-19.

Judges Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Ashley Banjo and Oti Mabuse will also return to Dancing On Ice, with former world champion boxer Ricky Hatton, Coronation Street actress Claire Sweeney, singer Hannah Spearritt, West End star Amber Davies and Olympian Greg Rutherford among the stars taking part.

TV personality Miles Nazaire, comedian and writer Lou Sanders, actor Ricky Norwood, radio presenter Adele Roberts, actor Ryan Thomas and Emmerdale’s Roxy Shahidi will also compete.

Former Gogglebox star Stephen Lustig-Webb was due to feature but was forced to pull out after breaking his left ankle during ice skating training, with Olympian Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards taking his place.

Dancing On Ice returns to ITV in January.