ITV offers Ant a year off... but he’ll still get £5m
So will co-star Dec have to go it alone?
itV may have to do without their star presenting doubleact Ant and Dec for a year, it emerged last night.
Ant McPartlin has been offered a sabbatical as he battles an addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol.
Six months after itV agreed the terms of a three-year, £15 million ‘golden handcuffs’ deal, the broadcaster has given him its full support – and the prospect of a paid year off.
it means his on-screen partner Declan Donnelly may have to go solo for the first time in 23 years.
the offer is expected to relieve much of the anxiety the 41-year-old feels as he prepares to spend his third day in a £6,000-a-week rehab facility.
Last night a television insider said: ‘it is all still too early to say for sure what will happen, but all anyone wants is for Ant to get well again.
‘he and Dec are the backbone of the itV family and ... Ant has the network’s complete and utter support.
‘Formally, Ant has no work commitments until November and obviously the hope is that he will be completely better by then, and able to fulfil them. But itV will not rush him in any way, and the feeling is he must take as long as he needs. if he wants
Stint in rehab: Ant McPartlin a 12 month sabbatical, frankly he deserves it. the sense is though that both Ant and Dec love working, and Ant will want to get back down to work before the end of the year.’
Should the Britain’s Got talent star decide to take itV up on their offer, it leaves the possibility of Donnelly, 41, presenting alone
A friend of the duo yesterday insisted ‘no conversations’ about the possibility had yet occurred, adding: ‘At the moment it is not an issue’.
the pair have no commitments lined up until November when i’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of here! returns. it would involve McPartlin filming in Australia until just before Christmas. their show Saturday Night takeaway resumes in February, as does filming for BGt.
McPartlin is understood to have promised his family not to take on any unnecessary projects while he recovers. A friend said: ‘Ant knows his health is the number one priority.
‘he will be more selective about the things he says “yes” to going forwards, and presumably will be turning down far more work than he accepts. he loves his job, but doesn’t want to burn out again.’
McPartlin shocked his fans after releasing a statement at the weekend revealing his forthcoming stint in one of Britain’s most exclusive residential clinics.
it follows a botched operation on his leg two and a half years ago that left him with a fractured kneecap – and led him to develop a dependency on painkillers, including tramadol.
his time in the £6,000 a week facility, will see him able to embark on activities ranging from tai-chi to electroshock therapy. in addition to a one-to- one pscyhotherapy session twice a week, he will undergo hourlong appointments with a psychiatrist to monitor his mental well-being and check his medication doses.
Last night an itV spokesman said: ‘We are sending Ant our very best wishes for a speedy recovery and, of course, he has our full support.’