EXCLUSIVE DEC: I’M GUTTED!
Dec ‘hit hard by arrest of Ant’
DEVASTATED Declan Donnelly looked downcast yesterday as he was seen out for the first time since his showbiz partner and best friend Ant McPartlin was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving.
Donnelly is said to be “gutted” at the problems that have forced his presenting sidekick to give up appearing on TV indefinitely and go back to rehab.
The 42-year-old kept his gaze on the ground as he walked with his wife Ali in west London. He made no comment to snappas and reporters.
Many fans believe it’s the end of the road for the duo and that Dec will suffer for Ant’s mistakes.
Both of them have previously insisted that they would only work together, writing in a joint autobiography: “Neither one of us would ever be on our own out there.”
There is now a huge question mark over the future of the famous TV double act after Ant announced he was going into rehab and would stay off TV for the forseeable future.
A friend of Dec said: “He’s just really upset about it all just on so many levels – gutted and worried about Ant obviously, and totally devastated he’s going back to rehab. But he’s also worried about the future of Ant and Dec.”
In their 2010 book Ooh! What A Lovely Pair Dec wrote: “We made an agreement – whatever happened, we’d be mates forever, and neither one of us would ever be on our own out there.
“If it all ended tomorrow, we’d still speak every day, we’d still see each other all the time and we’d still be best mates. And that’s something we’re both very proud of.”
The pair were up for two awards at the Royal Television Society Awards being held in London last night.
The show Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway was up for the best Entertainment Programme category, which it won last year.
The pair were also among nominations for the Entertainment Performance Award for their work on I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!