Charged with drink driving... now Ant heads off to rehab
ANT McPartlin packed his bags and returned to rehab last night, as he battles to turn his life around after the car crash which led to a drinkdriving charge.
The troubled star climbed into a Mercedes people carrier with blacked-out windows after putting his affairs in order during a day of drama.
He was later seen arriving at a top private London hospital that specialises in treating mental health problems and addictions.
It plunged the future of McPartlin and his best friend Declan Donnelly, who are Britain’s best loved TV duo, into fresh crisis as Donnelly announced he was going solo for the first time in nearly 25 years – presenting the final two episodes of Ant and Dec’s hit TV show Saturday Night Takeaway alone.
Meanwhile, McPartlin’s heartbroken wife, Lisa Armstrong, was also having to face the music as she tries to rebuild her life following the collapse of her marriage.
Earlier yesterday, McPartlin, 42, broke cover for the first time since his arrest last Sunday afternoon as he left his hideaway to be interviewed under caution by police. He spent around an hour being quizzed by officers over the threecar smash which injured a four-year-old girl.
McPartlin hid behind Ray-Ban sunglasses as he left his mother’s home in Chiswick, west London, yesterday morning, before being driven six miles to Kingston police station.
The beleaguered presenter, anguish etched on his face, was met by his lawyer and personal assistant before shaking hands with officers in the police station yard.
Hours after he returned home, the Metropolitan Police announced McPartlin had been sent notification by post of the drink-drive charge.
He will appear at Wimbledon magistrates court on April 4 and could face up to six months in jail if convicted.
The development emerged moments after a dishevelled McPartlin left his home with several suitcases, which were loaded into the people carrier by his driver.
He cut a forlorn figure as he dashed into the back of the vehicle before being joined by his personal assistant.
McPartlin has been staying at his mother Christine Woodall’s £2million rented property since splitting with Ms Armstrong, 41.
After returning there from the police station, he was visited by Donnelly, 42 – the first time the pair had met face to face since McPartlin was involved in the crash.
Donnelly, who lives half a mile away with his wife Ali, was previously only in telephone contact with his sidekick of nearly 30 years.
Make-up artist Ms Armstrong returned to work to film the new series of Britain’s Got Talent in south-east London and was seen being comforted by Demi Demetrio, who appeared on the programme in 2009 with his son, performing as comedy dance act Stavros Flatley.
Ms Armstrong appeared troubled as she was spotted puffing nervously on a cigarette.
She stood by her husband after his life was plunged into turmoil last summer when he spent two months in rehab after struggling with an addiction to painkillers and alcohol.
McPartlin has said his problems stemmed
from a painful knee operation in 2015. Friends have rallied round Ms Armstrong, who is said to be “devastated” by the break-up of her 11-year marriage.
Fellow ITV presenter Piers Morgan told Good Morning Britain earlier this week how Ms Armstrong was struggling to cope with the ongoing crisis.
He said: “When it comes to sympathy, sympathy for the family in the other car is paramount. Sympathy for Dec, whose own career is being massively damaged by this by default. Sympathy for Ant’s wife Lisa, she’s been going through a very tough time in the public eye. She’s a very private lady and she’s having to have all her stuff poured out. “This is a hard time for a lot of people.” McPartlin was driving home after walking his dog in Richmond Park when the crash happened. His mother was a passenger in his £26,000 special edition Mini Cooper.
After failing a roadside breath test he returned home at around 3am on Monday and had been there until his appointment at the police station yesterday.
In a statement on Monday Ant and Dec’s publicist said: “Ant has decided to go back into treatment and step down from his current TV commitments.
“He has spoken with Dec and ITV today and asked for time off for the foreseeable future.
“As such, Saturday Night Takeaway will not be going ahead this Saturday.”