STEPHEN Mulhern faced a relentless grilling on This Morning today over his rumoured romance with Josie Gibson.
After being snapped backstage holding hands together during Saturday Night Takeaway, rumours started flying that Josie and Stephen were secretly an item.
But with neither of them confirming or denying the rumours, This Morning hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard couldn't resist stirring the pot whenever they could.
Appearing on the show to promote his book, Max Magic, Stephen was seen making use of the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) area set up for today's show.
This prompted Ben to take a cheeky swipe at him, saying he was acting at home because he was "with one of our own".
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Sitting up straight from a massage table, Stephen laughed off the comment and told Ben to "shut his face" before they went to a break.
The interview around the book continued smoothly until the show wound down and Cat and Ben were quick to bring up the rumours again, prompting Stephen to break his silence.
With only seconds before the end of the show, Stephen said: "Listen, she didn't turn up to rehearsals, I held her hand and I showed her where to stand. That is it. Finito!."
"Uh-huh, really. Your lips are sealed?" poked Cat, while Ben said, "Me thinks he protest too much."
As the pair burst into laughter, a flustered and red-faced Stephen asked: "Why are you doing this to me?! Unbelievable!"
With the show closing out, Cat could be heard asking for "thumbscrews" suggesting she'd torture the information out of him.
Josie and Stephen have both been keen to shake off the rumours, making a joke out of what was seen.
The pair have been friends for years as part of ITV’s stable of talent, appearing together on Saturday Night Takeaway, This Morning and Catchphrase together among other shows.
Asked about their relationship status at the time, Josie, 39, joked: “I'm in love with Stephen Mulhern. There you go.”
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She added to the Mail: “But story of my life, I don't think he loves me.”
