TV personality Stephen Mulhern has issued an apology after those who live in properties he owns claimed they were living in unacceptable conditions.
Earlier this week, The Big Issue published a report citing an anonymous tenant of the Catchphrase host, who claimed their physical and mental health had declined as a result of the damp and mould in the property.
The tenant – who was a key worker during the pandemic – said: “We worked our butts off as key workers during Covid – my housemate for the NHS, and I in a factory producing disposable plastic accessories for hospitals, pulling extra shifts. And for what? Virtue-signalling claps? Who tunes in to watch and support Stephen Mulhern while we’re paying him rent to live in squalor? It leaves me bitter and alienated.”
The tenant claimed they’d repeatedly complained about the problems with the property to the management agent Connells multiple times in the past two years, only for the issues to get worse.
In response to The Big Issue’s reporting, the Dancing On Ice presenter claimed he was unaware of the severity of the situation as he hired a property management company to look after the property.
He said he was “absolutely mortified to learn about this situation and the awful experience the tenant has faced which is clearly unacceptable” .
Thanking The Big Issue for “bringing this to his attention”, a spokesperson added: “Having not been aware of the issues until today, Stephen has taken this matter into his own hands immediately and has personally requested for a team of damp specialists to visit the property to make sure that the problems with the ventilation and mould are resolved as a matter of urgency.
“We will be contacting the tenant to express sincere apologies for the distress and frustration the management of this matter has caused. This falls way below the standards Stephen expects and he is doing everything possible to remedy this ASAP.”
After previously fronting shows like Big Star’s Little Star, Catchphrase and In For A Penny, Stephen took over from outgoing Dancing On Ice host Phillip Schofield as Holly Willoughby’s regular co-presenter on the ITV skating show in January.
He will return for his second series as host next year.
Last year, he also began hosting a reboot of Deal Or No Deal for ITV, which was previously presented by Noel Edmonds on Channel 4.