EXCLUSIVE: Reflecting on her time on the ITV show, a Deal or No Deal contestant shared what took her by surprise about presenter Stephen Mulhern

Stephen Mulhern took the Deal or No Deal contestant by surprise (Image: ITV)

A Deal or No Deal contestant has opened up about her “emotional” experience on the popular show hosted by Stephen Mulhern. In Friday’s episode, viewers watched content creator Helen McPherson take on the banker with £100,000 at stake.

Having felt “physically unwell” watching her fellow players’ games on television, the Kent-based contestant admitted she was anxious to finally see her own round after 14 months.

Reflecting on her time in the studio, Helen, who worked as a hairdresser at the time, revealed what surprised her about the show she loves.

Starting with host Stephen, the mother-of-two said she didn’t expect him to be the way he was across the three games filmed each day.

A fan of the presenter, the player, who boasts an impressive 106,000 followers on TikTok, admitted she was “really nervous and a bit starstruck” at first.

Deal or No Deal contestant Helen McPherson (Image: INSTAGRAM/HELSMCPHERSON)

She said: “I think I come across a bit dizzy on it, because I’m looking at him and I’m like, ‘Oh my God that is Stephen Mulhern’.

“But then towards the end, I do remember digging my fingernails into his arm so hard, it was like I was giving birth and he was like my husband. It was bonkers,” she laughed.

The awkward moments didn’t bother the host however, with Helen claiming he was “so lovely”.

“He is the ultimate professional, but I didn’t expect him to be so kind and generous with his time,” she shared.

“Like, he would make an effort to talk to us all and he remembered details that I told him about my son, like what a big fan he was of him.

“He would just remember stuff and I just thought, b****y hell. Like, you don’t have to do that.

“I thought he’d just be whisked in at the last minute, do it and then go but actually [he wasn’t].”

Stephen Mulhern has been fronting the show since its revival in 2024 (Image: ITV)

She added: “He puts everybody at ease, when you do the first game, everyone is so nervous, it’s funny, he goes, ‘At the end of the day if you mess up, we’ll just film it again, don’t worry’.”

Helen additionally recalled Stephen making a thoughtful gesture to her off-camera after her game concluded.

“Afterwards, I was a bit of a mess and then I was like crying loads and he came and gave me a cuddle and he was looking at me, you can just see [it’s genuine], because you can’t fake that.

“He actually really does care about everybody,” she added.

Sharing what else surprised her about going from viewer to contestant, Helen spoke about the friendships formed with fellow players.

Helen McPherson shared her thoughts on Stephen Mulhern (Image: GETTY)

Ahead of appearing on the show, the player admitted she found it “cringy” when contestants expressed emotional sentiments to one another, but now understands why they do.

“I’ve realised that it is a little bit like Big Brother because you’re sort of thrown into this amazing hotel with these people and you’re sort of hanging out with them all this time,” she explained.

“It looks a bit silly on the tele like, ‘Come on love, you joined yesterday, how can you possibly be loving these people?’

“But you realise when you’re there, this is genuine. Because so many people say, ‘Do they tell you to say nice things when you open the box?’, but they don’t at all.

“You feel so invested, you feel like you’re on an emotional rollercoaster, it is quite tense.”

Helen won an impressive £19,000 on the show, having decided to accept the banker’s final offer.

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Discussing her winnings, she said she would like to put the money towards a new car as well as family adventures.