DEFIANT AND DEC ITV bosses confident he’ll be fit and well for I’m A Celebrity
TROUBLED telly presenter Ant McPartlin is aiming to make his screen comeback in the next series of I’m A Celebrity.
ITV bosses said yesterday they expect the 41-year-old – who has just gone into rehab for drink and drug addictions – to be fully fit by the time filming of the jungle reality show starts in November.
He has also won support from fellow celebrities, who praised him as “brave” for speaking out about his problems.
Ant and long-term presenting partner Declan Donnelly are ITV’s biggest stars.
One insider said: “It’s all very sad about Ant but he’s done absolutely the right thing and should be fine for I’m A Celebrity later this year.
“Everyone’s looking forward to having him back at his very best.”
On ITV’s flagship daytime show This Morning, hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield sent their support.
Schofield, 55, said: “We wanted to take this moment to send our love and best wishes to our mate Ant.
“As you may have seen he’s checked into a rehab clinic for help with substance abuse, prescription drugs and alcohol.”
Holly, 36, and the show’s agony aunt Deidre Sanders praised Ant’s courage.
Deidre said: “It sets a great example for other people who we know will be out there and worrying about it. For him to step forward like that and say he has a problem.
“He says he feels guilty, I don’t think he should. He was suffering with pain. I think it’s wonderful he’s made that move to get help.”
Ant admitted at the weekend that he had become addicted to painkillers and was abusing alcohol and other substances.
He is believed to have sunk into a depression – which he hid from friends and family – over a botched knee op which left him in constant pain, along with his and wife Lisa’s ongoing inability to have a baby.
In a statement, he said: “The first step is to admit to yourself you need help.
“I feel like I have let a lot of people down and for that I’m truly sorry.
“I have spoken out because I think it is important that people ask for help and get the proper treatment to help their recovery.”
He is expected to stay in rehab at a residential centre outside London until August.
He will also be in a wheelchair for the next six weeks because he had an op to correct the damage to his knee just before he entered rehab.
Later this summer, he is expected to take a holiday abroad with Lisa, 40.