Viewers tuning in to Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway over the last few weeks have been left confused after spotting a major star has been missing from the show's line-up.
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Stephen Mulhern, who appears on the ITV programme alongside Geordie comedy duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, has been absent from the last two weekend's shows and will sadly also miss tonight's programme as he is recuperating from a mystery illness.
WATCH: Stephen Mulhern joins Ant and Dec from their homes
Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Stephen addressed his absence, writing: "Hello all, Sorry I've been quiet on here recently and thank you for all your lovely messages. I've had some time off and been resting up on doctors orders.
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In a follow-up tweet, he added: "I'm on the mend, I'm happy to say, and looking forward to getting back to work soon. In the meantime I'll put my feet up and watch Saturday Night Takeaway tonight with the rest of you lot. Please don't miss me too much! Lots of love, Stephen. X."
Fans quickly flooded the replies with messages of support for Stephen, with one person writing: "Glad to hear you are getting better! You are definitely missed on the telly, but your health has to come first. You are brilliant and we will all be waiting for you when you are ready to come back."
Stephen has only made one brief appearance in the new series
Another added: "Missing you on my screen but glad to know you're getting better! Sending love," while a third said: "Hope you feel better soon Stephen, we miss you xx."
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The TV star has been part of the evening entertainment show's line-up since 2016 and appears on the show to present the Ant vs Dec segment. However, so far has only made one brief appearance in the latest series. He appeared in the series launch show on 19 February dressed up as Donald Trump for a skit.
Over the last few weeks, viewers have been questioning Stephen's lack of screen time, tweeting the presenter and comedian to question where he is. Fingers crossed he makes his return soon!
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