Ant’s in his (short) pants
TV host in great shape for his stint in jungle
ANT McPartlin said he was “feeling great” as he and Dec Donnelly landed in Australia yesterday, putting their I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! partnership back on track.
ITV bosses had feared Ant, 41, would not recover in time following his stay in rehab for addiction to painkillers.
But the lifelong friends were seen laughing together as they arrived in Brisbane.
“I’m excited to back, I can’t wait,” he said. “I’m feeling great, the flight was all right. I had a lot of sleep and me and Dec had a good catch-up. It’s going to be a good show.”
Dec, 42, said he was thrilled to have Ant back by his side. “I’m looking forward to spending more time with him,” he added.
“It’s brilliant to be back together, it’s perfect. Everything just slots back into place. We can’t wait and we’re raring to go. We are really looking forward to it.”
Twists
He also teased viewers after claiming that this year’s series could feature some surprises – and promised the tough year would not stop the pair’s usual tomfoolery on screen.
He said: “We’re really excited. We’ll have the same old shenanigans but with a few little added twists.
“We just can’t wait to get in and get going now. We’ve been waiting for ages. It’s been a long summer break so we can’t wait.”
Friends say Ant and Dec will have three days for a “proper catch-up” before starting work on the show, which is back on Sunday.
One said: “Ant’s been away most of the summer and hardly saw Dec so they’ll get some proper bonding time.It’s going to be nice for them to chill out before the madness kicks off.”
They are staying in a luxury penthouse but true to their roots the stars, said to be worth £60million each, decided to pop down to a budget supermarket to stock up on breakfast cereal, muesli snack bars, chocolate and peanut butter.
They were then spotted relaxing by the pool – Dec with his wife Ali Astall.
Ant’s wife, make-up artist Lisa Armstrong, remained in the UK to work on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. Ant wore his wedding ring in a bid to dispel rumours that his struggle with addiction had put pressure on his 11-year marriage.
Lisa last night confirmed they were still very much together and “not estranged” despite reports.
Ant spent two months in rehab this summer as he battled his painkiller addiction following a botched operation on his knee.
Among the contestants in the new series are former Chelsea star Dennis Wise and boxer Amir Khan who both arrived in Brisbane yesterday.