Matthew Kelly was almost killed by a falling disco ball on 'Stars In the Their Eyes'.

Matthew Kelly almost died on set

Matthew Kelly almost died on set

The 71-year-old presenter helmed the singing competition - which saw members of the public performing as their favourite singers - from 1993 to 2004, and he has recalled one terrifying near-death experience as he approached the stage when a contestant was just about to rehearse their song.

Appearing on the 'My Time Capsule' podcast, he said: "As I stepped onto the stage, this giant mirror ball fell from the ceiling and smashed into a million pieces at exactly the spot where I would have been standing two seconds later.

"It would have killed me. We were all dismissed from the studio.

"I said, imagine the papers the next day: 'Matthew Kelly killed in terrible glitterball tragedy. It's the way he would have wanted to go.' "

Although Matthew himself saw the funny side, not everyone was quite so relaxed about the ordeal.

He added: "I got told off for laughing because health and safety went mental. I thought it was hilarious."

'Stars In Their Eyes' is set to be rebooted next year as it returns to ITV as 'Starstruck' with Olly Murs as the host.

It's said original show's famous catchphrase - "Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be..." - won't be reworked for the revival, although the former host looks back fondly on the line which was said by every contestant before their transformation.

He said: "The best thing about that catchphrase was it had my name it. I didn't invent it, and I was the only one who couldn't say it.

"People couldn't come up to me and say, 'Go on, say that line!' Why would I say that to myself? I couldn't."


Tagged in