Stephen Mulhern has opened up about sharing his love of magic with his late father Christopher. 

The magician and presenter, 48, experienced a tumultuous 2024 filled with mystery health scares and the tragic passing of his father.

Now, Stephen has spoken about how his career was inspired by his father – who used to do magic as a hobby. 

Recalling his childhood, Stephen spoke about his father doing magic tricks instead of reading a bedtime story.

He told The Sun: ‘Rather than a bedtime story, he would do a magic trick, he’d make a handkerchief vanish and appear under the pillow.’

In a sweet tribute, Stephen added: ‘I adored it, and him, and it set me on the road to where I am today.’ 

Stephen Mulhern has opened up about sharing his love of magic with his late father Christopher (Seen in 2022)

The magician and presenter, 48, experienced a tumultuous 2024 filled with mystery health scares and the tragic passing of his father (Seen with father Christopher in 2018)

In May, Stephen revealed he broke down in tears while filming new travel show The Accidental Tourist, following his year from hell.

The one-off ITV show saw Stephen’s pals Ant McPartlin, 49, and Declan Donnelly, 49, whisk him away to South Korea to push him out of his comfort zone to eat food he does not like and was filmed shortly after his father’s death. 

Stephen 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 loved has pride in himself for starring in the show – which reportedly took him three years to be persuaded to do, but said was ‘gutted’ that his father was not alive to see how he got on.

An emotional Stephen admitted: ‘My dad had just passed away, so that’s the only thing. I’m gutted that he didn’t see it.’ 

He continued: ‘People have thankfully seen me on TV for nearly 25 years, but they may go, ‘Well, what’s he like at home? Is he going out with someone? I’m at the very centre of this, and it’s scary’.

‘They 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.’ 

It was announced in November that Stephen’s father Christopher had passed away, with a spokesperson for the star telling told: ‘Stephen has had an incredibly tough time over the past few weeks. 

Now, Stephen has spoken about how his career was inspired by his father – who used to do magic as a hobby (Seen together in 2023) 

‘His beloved father recently passed away which has hit him hard and has been understandably very stressful’.

Stephen was born in east London in 1977 to parents Christopher and Maureen who worked as market traders.

The star has credited his success to his parents saying: ‘I don’t mean to sound soppy, but they worked so incredibly hard to bring up me and my two brothers and sister.’

Raised alongside his three siblings, he honed his people skills by working on his father’s market stall before he went on to pursue his career as a magician.

Then shortly after Stephen was rushed to hospital after he collapsed while eating at a Pizza Express following an unknown medical procedure he had earlier in the day. 

Shortly after Stephen’s father died he was rushed to hospital after he collapsed while eating at a Pizza Express following an unknown medical procedure he had earlier in the day

After paramedics helped him, he was put on the phone to his mother to assure her that he was OK.

A source told The Sun: ‘Stephen has been going through an incredibly tough time of late. He is grieving the loss of his dad to whom he was so, so close.

‘He’s also been battling several well-documented health problems, and on Wednesday morning had a procedure requiring a local anaesthetic.

‘He took himself off for a quiet, solo dinner that evening, had a few drinks and just reacted incredibly badly. He’s only human, and his dad’s death has hit him hard.’