Stephen Mulhern has revealed he cried while filming his first TV show since his father Christopher died.
The 48-year-old presenter’s beloved dad passed away in November, with his team saying at the time that the loss had “hit him hard” and he was having an “incredibly tough time”.
Mulhern fainted in Pizza Express just weeks after Christopher’s death and had to be hospitalised, later revealing it was a bad reaction to anaesthetic from a procedure he’d had.
Soon after the distressing events, the Dancing On Ice host filmed a one-off ITV special, The Accidental Tourist, with his friends Declan Donnelly, 49, and Ant McPartlin, 49.
The show sees Donnelly and McPartlin whisk Mulhern off to South Korea to push him out of his comfort zone in terms of experiences and cuisine.
Recalling filming the show, he told the Daily Mirror: “No one's ever seen me cry on the telly, but it was quite nice to not be behind a format, I've never done that. You're going to see behind the razzle-dazzle if you like.”
The Catchphrase host claimed it took three years of persuading for him to take part on the show and he was “gutted” his father didn’t see him on it.
“My dad had just passed away, so that's the only thing. I'm gutted that he didn't see it,” Mulhern said.
“[The crew] film and they film and they film and they just get everything. I think what you're going to see is a lot of emotion. You'll see me totally out of my comfort zone.”
Mulhern also revealed he lost half a stone after eating “horrific” dishes in south Korea like fish penis because he couldn’t “stomach anything” when he returned home.
The You Bet! host sparked concern in late November when he fainted while dining alone at a Pizza Express in Berkshire.
Having undergone an operation earlier in the day, he had reacted badly to the anaesthetic after having a few drinks and was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
A source told The Sun at the time: “Stephen immediately felt unwell and concerned staff came over, and called 999. Paramedics checked him over and took him to hospital as a precaution.
“He was also put on the phone to his mum to reassure her that he was OK. Stephen is recovering well at home now, and is resting up. He’s so grateful for the care he received, and is mortified that he had such an awful — and public — reaction to the anaesthetic.”
A spokesperson for Mulhern told The Standard: “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.”
