WE know Stephen Mulhern as a cheeky chappy TV host with a warm smile who is quick with a gag.
But when his mates Ant and Dec challenged him to make a travelogue, Stephen — best known for TV shows Saturday Night Takeaway, Deal Or No Deal and In For A Penny — was terrified.
Because what people probably don’t know about the 48-year-old is that he has lived, in his own words, a very sheltered life.
And of all the destinations Ant and Dec could have picked for him to visit in their new ITV show, Accidental Tourist, South Korea would be the most challenging one.
What is, in places, a funny entertainment show, turned into a life-changingly emotional experience for Stephen, not least because he had recently lost his father Christopher.
He says: “The idea of doing something out of my comfort zone was terrifying, but recently I feel I’ve wasted a lot of time doing the same things.
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“I’ve thrown myself into work for so many years that I’ve never really gone, ‘Let’s try something new’.
“So when Ant and Dec suggested this, I thought, ‘I’m going to really go for it’.
“It’s taught me a lot. I thought it would just be an experience that lasted for as long as it took to make the show, but it’s actually changed my life.”
Stephen has always stuck to the familiar, like eating roast dinners and holidaying on the Med.
Fear of the unknown has stopped him from ever swimming in the sea or eating mayonnaise.
So when Ant and Dec lined up a host of Korean challenges — including eating octopus and doing a naked sauna — Stephen panicked.
“It exposed so many fears,” he says. “But sometimes you’ve got to break patterns, because otherwise you’ll never grow. It’s too easy to say, ‘This feels comfortable’.
“For example, I’ve always eaten bland food like steak and chips, roast dinners.
“But although I didn’t like a lot of the Korean food, some of it was quite nice. And now I’ve got chilli flakes in my cupboard!”
Born in Stratford, east London, Stephen grew up with market trader parents Christopher and Maureen and siblings Vince, Chris and Susie.
Holidays were in seaside resorts such as Margate, or Butlin’s parks.
He says: “They were the best times. We’re a very working-class family: I worked from the age of 11 in Petticoat Lane with my family and we’d save up enough money to play the penny arcade machines or whatever.”
It’s understandable, then, that Stephen felt pushed out of his comfort zone when he went to Korea.
One particularly moving scene shows him wading into the sea to hand dive for fish with locals. He ends up in anxious tears and almost doesn’t go through with it, telling the producers to stop.
“I’ve never in my life felt anxiety like it,” he admits.
“But I felt so triumphant at the end when I’d done it. It was a very special moment.
“I’ve never got emotional on TV. There are times where I listen to contestants’ stories on Deal Or No Deal where I feel emotional inside, especially when my dad passed away.
“But with this, you can physically see how upset I was.
“Dec’s wife Ali said she could really feel my pain when she watched it.
“This is the most real travelogue you’re likely to see. It’s exposing because it’s the real me, not me as a host, and I’ve never done that before.
“So for the audiences that normally watch my shows, it’s going to be a bit of a curveball.”
Since returning home, Stephen says he feels more relaxed and less anxious. He is also willing to try for further adventures and is considering more travel.
He adds: “I’ve never been so nervous about doing a show but about a week later I realised I was feeling different about everything, and I’m so pleased I did it.”
- Stephen Mulhern: Accidental Tourist is on ITV1 and ITVX from today.
GO: South Korea
GETTING THERE: Virgin Atlantic launches its new service from Heathrow to Seoul in South Korea in May next year. Fares start from £950 return. See virginatlantic.com.