Following the return of Dancing On Ice, a body language expert claims Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern have an ‘awkward’ dynamic on the ITV show and are struggling to form a connection.
Speaking on behalf of BetFair Slots, Darren Stanton has broken down the tell-tale signs that the pair’s bond isn’t quite there as he noted ‘zero eye contact’ and a lack of ‘matching and mirroring’ in their body language during Sunday night’s opening show on January 12.
The expert believes Holly, 43, may have ‘lost her confidence’ as he claims she appears to be ‘masking smiles’ while Stephen is ‘fully engaged’ and is displaying ‘crows feet and laugh lines’ which are key indicators of a genuine smile.
He added there is a sense of ‘awkwardness’ as he spoke of Stephen making a series of jokes to the audience as the former This Morning presenter remained ‘stilted’.
Darren commented: “I think Holly is struggling to establish a strong level of rapport with Stephen Mulhern. I still don’t think she has the best rapport with him. What we are looking at are two very experienced professional presenters, but working as individuals, rather than them coming across as an established duo.
“Holly doesn’t really look at Stephen when she’s presenting. There’s pretty much zero eye contact when they both deliver their pieces to camera. They are getting on well and do show clear respect for each other, but we don’t see a level of deep rapport and connection through their body language signals and gestures.
“Stephen is very happy-go-lucky and still comes across as pretty natural. Holly appears to have lost some of her confidence, and doesn’t have the same level of panache we’re used to seeing.”
Stephen Mulhern replaced Philip Schofield on Dancing on Ice last year after the 62-year-old quit his roles at ITV after his affair with a younger male colleague came to light.
Darren continued: “The matching and mirroring is minimal here. They’re both facing the front, not once do they tilt their bodies towards each other. Tilting towards someone when talking shows you trust them and have a good connection, which they don’t do, suggesting they’re still not used to the partnership.
“Eye contact is really important, which we rarely see from them. The dynamic between them is just not there. When Stephen makes his series of jokes on camera, Holly reacts awkwardly in response, and it’s a bit stilted, which is not the reaction you’d get from a presenting duo who were more comfortable with each other.”
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