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Stephen Mulhern praises 'back on form' Ant McPartlin as he makes return to BGT
12 April 2019, 11:19 | Updated: 29 October 2019, 12:45
EXCLUSIVE: Stephen Mulhern told Heart that it was like 'Christmas Day' when the Britain's Got Talent team reunited
Stephen Mulhern has opened up about Ant McPartlin's return to Britain's Got Talent - revealing the Geordie star is "back on form".
The return of BGT last weekend saw Ant, 42, take on his first presenting role since taking a break from work responsibilities following his stint in rehab last year.
Stephen, who presents sister show Britain's Got More Talent, has praised his friend, saying that having the gang back together is like 'Christmas'.
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Speaking exclusively to Heart Online ahead of the first episode of In For A Penny, Stephen opened up about the first day back filming.
He said: "It was just great. I use it because it’s true. It’s like your family being apart for a while, and then it’s Christmas day and you all getting together.
"That’s the best way to describe it."
He also said that Ant was 'back on form' following his hiatus.
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Stephen also spoke about his decision not to replace Ant on last year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, saying it was always a 'flatout no'.
He said: "It was always a flatout no and I’ll tell you why.
"I think they made the right call going with a female presenter because Holly could never be compared for every reason.
"But if it was a friend and a guy, you’d just go ‘this doesn't feel right’ so no I didn't even give it a second thought, and rightly so."
Stephen's new show In For A Penny, a spin-off to his Saturday Night Takeaway segment, starts this Saturday (13 April) on ITV.
Speaking about the show, Stephen said: "Because the show is live anything can happen.
"Ant and Dec have been very generous to me and gave me those big moments where you just go 'this is proper Saturday night television'. It was amazing. The show is just funny for all the family.
"There's nothing like it at the moment. No-one's doing anything like it, so I'm just pleased we've got a chance."
In For A Penny, Saturday’s at 7.30pm on ITV
