Since bursting onto the showbiz scene as a CITV presenter in the Nineties, Stephen Mulhern has gone on to become of the most in-demand stars on TV.
The presenter, 47, began his career as a child, starting as a magician and working his way steadily up the TV presenting ladder.
He has gone on to host a staggering 50 different shows, including Catchphrase and Deal Or No Deal, and has cemented close friendships with some of the biggest names in showbiz.
And fans went wild when he was pictured holding hands with Josie Gibson last month, however he quickly denied romance rumours when quizzed by pals Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard on This Morning.
This is because, despite his success and showbiz connections, Stephen likes to keep his personal life incredibly secret and has done throughout his career.
And if fans are looking to find out more about the presenter, the best way is by reading his new kid’s book Max Magic.
Since bursting onto the showbiz scene as a CITV presenter in the Nineties, Stephen Mulhern has gone on to become of the most in-demand stars on TV
And if fans are looking to find out more about the presenter, the best way is by reading his new kid’s book Max Magic
The book is based on his own childhood and uses his family’s real names and parents’ occupations.
He even includes his gran, who inspired a love of magic, and close showbiz pal Holly Willoughby.
He told The Sun: ‘Max, without question, is me and I wanted to include everything I’ve done in terms of ups and downs and tricky situations and happiness — and just overall things that people can take something from.
‘There’s a bully in it, that really happened at my school. One of the things he did to me, he made me stand in the middle of West Ham Park.
‘He said if you move before I walk outside this park, I’m going to beat you up. It was just horrific and I stayed there until nightfall.’
Stephen explained he wanted the book to be ‘relatable’ and hopes it may help someone going through something similar.
While he now famed for being a TV presenter, Stephen’s first career path was as a magician.
Raised alongside his three siblings in east London, he honed his people skills by working on his father Chris’s market stall.
The book is based on his own childhood and uses his family’s real names and parents’ occupations. He even includes his gran, who inspired a love of magic, and close showbiz pal Holly Willoughby (pictured in 2006)
At the age of 17, Stephen became the youngest ever member of The Magic Circle – an organisation dedicated to promoting and advancing the art of magic (pictured in 2003)
Stephen still enjoys performing live magic too, regularly returning to Butlin’s to perform three shows a day to packed-out crowds (pictured in 2023)
At the age of 17, Stephen became the youngest ever member of The Magic Circle – an organisation dedicated to promoting and advancing the art of magic.
However, he found himself temporarily suspended from the club after he broke one of The Magic Circle’s most sacredly kept rules – revealing how a trick is performed – while he was hosting Finger Tips on CITV.
He is now taking that risk for a second time as there is a QR code at the back which, if scanned, takes the readers to a video from inside Stephen’s home, where he shows how ten different magic tricks are done.
He explained that to find a new generation of magicians, you have to show them how to do tricks.
Stephen added: ‘The magicians are not going to like it where I show the readers how to port a card. If you know how to do that, then you can do the most incredible tricks.
‘Imagine how excited a young kid is going to feel, seeing it all explained.’
After leaving school, Stephen created his own magic show called Stephen’s Mega Mad Magic Show and won TV’s Big Big Talent Show, which secured him a slot on the 1997 Royal Variety Performance.
He then scored jobs at the Disney Channel and went on to host a number of magic shows, including Quick Trick Show, Tricky TV and Magic Numbers.
Stephen still enjoys performing live magic too, regularly returning to Butlin’s to perform three shows a day to packed-out crowds, insisting there is no better training than being faced with a live audience.
It comes after Stephen broke his silence as he faced an awkward grilling about his rumoured romance with Josie Gibson on This Morning on Tuesday.
With neither of them confirming or denying the rumours, This Morning hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard couldn’t resist stirring the pot during his latest interview.
It comes after Stephen faced an awkward grilling about his rumoured romance with Josie Gibson during an appearance on This Morning on Tuesday
Josie, who shares her son Reggie, five, with ex-partner Terry, declared her single status just days after joking about her unrequited love for fellow TV star Stephen
While promoting his book, Max Magic, Stephen was seen making use of the ASMR area set up and Ben took the opportunity to take a cheeky swipe at him saying he was acting at home because he was ‘with one of our own’.
Sitting up straight from a massage table, Stephen laughed off the comment and told Ben to ‘shut his face’ before they went to an AD break.
The show continued smoothly but at the end of Steven’s interview, Cat and Ben bought up the rumours once again forcing the Deal Or No Deal host to address them.
He said: ‘Listen, she didn’t turn up to rehearsals, I held her hand and I showed her where to stand. That is it. Finito!.’
‘Uh-huh, really. Your lips are sealed?’ poked Cat, while Ben said, ‘Me thinks he protest too much.’
The ITV presenters couldn’t hold back their laughter as a red-faced Steven asked: ‘Why are you doing this to me?! Unbelievable!’
After being pictured walking hand-in-hand , Josie joked to MailOnline: ‘I’m in love with Stephen Mulhern. There you go. But story of my life, I don’t think he loves me.’
