I’ve missed you: Ant’s emotional comeback with Dec
HE has been absent from our screens for nearly a year after his drink-drive arrest and addiction to prescription drugs.
But Ant McPartlin was finally back at work yesterday as he rejoined his long-time presenting partner Declan Donnelly.
The pair were filming the first auditions for Britain’s Got Talent with the ITV show’s celebrity judges at the London Palladium.
McPartlin, 43, beamed as he posed with Donnelly, also 43, David Walliams, Amanda Holden, Simon Cowell and Alesha Dixon.
Close to tears as he hugged Donnelly on stage to a standing ovation from the audience, McPartlin said: ‘As for you … I’ve missed you. What a lovely welcome and what a great show to come back to. I’m really thrilled, I’m over the moon. Shall we move on before I cry – shall we do it?’
After 22 years of the pair working together, Donnelly was forced to work alone following his friend’s drink-drive conviction in April. This Morning star Holly Willoughby took his place on I’m a Celebrity, winning a legion of fans for the ‘refreshing’ change. McPartlin stepped away from presenting after he was found to be driving at more than twice the legal limit when his Mini careered on to the wrong side of the road – resulting in a three-car collision in Richmond, west London. He first sought rehab treatment in June 2017 after becoming addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol following botched knee surgery in 2015. His second stint came after the crash in March, which landed him with a record-breaking £86,000 fine and a 20-month driving ban. McPartlin also split from his wife of 11 years Lisa Armstrong, 42, last year – before starting a relationship with their former PA Anne-Marie Corbett. The new BGT series is thought to be airing in April.