ANT TO PIERS: DON’T MOCK MENTALLY ILL
Britain’s Got Talent host’s swipe at Morgan over rehab jibe
FURIOUS Ant McPartlin has accused Piers Morgan of mocking mental illness.
Ant, who has been in rehab, hit back after Piers claimed he had been “walking the dog” instead of working.
A source said: “It insults everyone suffering from mental health issues.”
Ant out with second best pal, his dog Hurley RECOVERY is difficult and you cannot underestimate how hard it is unless you have been through it.
It would have been very easy for Ant to let Piers’ comments slide.
Especially as they are former Britain’s Got Talent colleagues and move in the same ITV circles.
So fair play to Ant for calling him out, not only for himself but also millions of people in recovery or with mental health problems.
Ant has had plenty of criticism over the last 12 months, yet he has put his hands up and admitted his mistakes. Isn’t it time to give the guy a break? Piers Morgan rants about Ant SOURCE CLOSE TO ANT ON HIS EMAIL TO FELLOW ITV STAR PIERS MORGAN ANT McPartlin has accused Piers Morgan of “belittling” his recovery from addiction issues.
And he said the breakfast TV host has insulted people suffering from mental health problems.
The Britain’s Got Talent presenter fired off a strongly worded email to his fellow ITV star, who had questioned Ant’s latest National Television Awards nomination.
Piers, 53, recently asked on Good Morning Britain why the Saturday Night Takeaway host was up for a gong with Declan Donnelly given he had been “walking the dog for a year” and “sitting on his backside”.
It has now emerged Ant, 43, hit back with the furious message.
A source said: “Ant sent him an email saying he takes his recovery very seriously and he didn’t appreciate Piers belittling it by saying all he has done is walk the dog.
“Ant did work last year – he presented nearly the whole series of Takeaway and all the audition shows of BGT. He then worked hard on his recovery. To suggest that all he did was walk the dog insults everyone who is in recovery or suffering from mental health issues. Ant pointed this all out to Piers.”
The star went to rehab for booze problems and prescription drug addiction after being convicted of drink-driving in April. It led to him pulling out of the BGT live shows and I’m a Celeb.
Piers was nominated for Good Morning Britain in the Daytime category at last month’s NTAs. It lost to This Morning.
But Ant and Dec won Best Presenter for the 18th time in a row.
Piers had said: “They’ll win. Even though Ant’s basically been sitting on his backside, from what I can see walking his dog for the last year. He’s got an award.”
He suggested he has been hard at work for the year, adding: “Me, coal face every morning hours on end, week after week – nothing.”
Piers then said if the pair won, he would “take the day off every day and walk his dog” next year.
He had previously criticised Ant for branding new girlfriend AnneMarie Corbett his “rock”. And he came out on the side of Ant’s estranged wife Lisa Armstrong, 42.
Piers added: “I think that there’s somebody else involved in all this, who is Lisa, who I know well, who I’d imagine is pretty hurt by it.” BREAK UP Ant’s wife Lisa
To suggest that all Ant did was walk the dog insults everyone who is in recovery