The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Ant McPartlin charged with drink-driving
Dec will host last two episodes of show without his long-time TV partner
TV presenter Ant McPartlin has been charged with drink-driving following his arrest on Sunday, and will appear in court next month.
McPartlin was pictured leaving his house in Chiswick with his manager and a driver yesterday afternoon.
His TV presenting partner Declan Donnelly will host their programme Saturday Night Takeaway without him, ITV has confirmed.
An ITV spokesman said on Monday they were “reviewing options” for the remaining two episodes of the series, which will now air as scheduled but without McPartlin.
McPartlin has taken a step back from his TV commitments and will return to rehab.
An ITV spokesman said: “We can confirm that Saturday Night Takeaway, presented by Declan Donnelly, will return to ITV on March 31, and the series finale will be taking place at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida a week later.”
The variety programme, hosted by McPartlin and Donnelly as TV duo Ant and Dec, was previously confirmed to not be airing this coming Saturday.
ITV has changed the schedule and pulled forward an episode of The Voice UK to fill the slot.
Donnelly wrote in a statement on the duo’s official Twitter page: “Whilst I never thought I’d be in this position, after much discussion and careful consideration we’ve decided that the remaining two shows of this series of Saturday Night Takeaway will go ahead.”
Referring to the winners who are to be flown out to Florida for the final episode of the series, he added: “We made a promise to take hundreds of deserving winners to Florida to watch the series finale, and we will honour that.
“Everyone at ITV and the Takeaway team feels we owe it to the audience to complete the series.”
On Monday, it was confirmed that McPartlin is taking a leave of absence from his TV work and will go back to rehab, after first being treated last year due to an addiction to painkillers following a knee operation in 2015.
McPartlin’s publicist said in a statement: “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.”
Following his arrest on Sunday, McPartlin was questioned at a south London police station and later “released under investigation”, a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said.
Police previously confirmed that a number of individuals were treated at the scene for minor injuries, and a child passenger from one of the cars was taken to hospital to be checked as a precaution.
It marked the latest in a string of personal setbacks for the star, whose admission to rehab last year was followed, several months later, by the announcement that his marriage of 11 years to his wife Lisa had ended.