Cowell: Ant will be back next year

BGT stars Ant and Dec should be reunited on the show next year, boss Simon Cowell has predicted.

The talent contest presenters were split when Ant took a step back from his TV commitments after he was convicted of drink driving.

But Simon revealed there will always be a place for Ant – and he’s expecting him back next series.

He said: “He’s not a bad person, he’s not the only person these things happen to. He’s in the public eye. It’s a wake-up call. It’s as simple as that.”

Simon wants to make sure Ant gets all the support he needs when he returns to the telly show.

He said: “Maybe the pressure was more than I realised. I will support Ant when he comes back.

“He’s not a malicious person, he’s just got himself into a place.

“But he has owned it and he’s going to deal with it. He’s taken a step back because his health is way more important than a TV show.

“I’m almost certain he’ll be back next year. And we want him back.”

Dec was left to go it alone on the live shows and won rave reviews.

Simon said: “Dec has been unbelievable. I have tremendous respect for him. He’s been a revelation.”

One BGT team that hasn’t changed is the judging panel. Simon has been doing the job with Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and David Walliams for the past seven series.

But Simon insists change is key to keeping a show fresh – and there could be a big one in the offing for BGT. Simon let slip that he might be considering moving the show from ITV to rivals BBC.

He says the Beeb tried to poach the show a few years ago, but the deal never happened. Now he says he’s ready to start talks again.

It would be a major coup for the Beeb to bag BGT, which is considered one of the jewels in ITV’S crown, pulling in 10 million viewers.

But it would be expensive, with sources saying they’d need to splash upwards of £50million per series.

Simon, 53, said: “You always wonder, ‘Would this show work better on the BBC?’ I’ve thought about that recently, I genuinely have.

“Do you always want to be in the same place? There’ve been no talks. They offered me a deal a few years ago... maybe I shouldn’t have said what I just said.”

Simon has made some personal changes too. Last year he ended up in hospital after falling down the stairs of his west London home.

He blamed the accident on his work schedule – and has now scaled back his meetings and ditched his mobile. Simon said: “I’ve not had a phone for 10 months. It’s made me happier. I’d wake up to 30 or 40 messages - you can’t keep up with them.

“Life is 100 per cent better without a phone. It doesn’t own you.”

The dad-of-one also worked out he had nearly 1,000 meetings a year.

But not any more. He said: “How can you be creative under that? Now I’ve cut back on meetings and I’ve cut back on work.”