‘Sorry’ Ant handed record drink-driving fine
£130,000-a-week TV star ‘mortified’ after crashing his car following relapse from alcohol treatment
ANT MCPARTLIN has been ordered to pay what is believed to be Britain’s biggest ever drink-drive fine after he was found to be more than double the legal limit after a car crash.
The 42-year-old television presenter, who earns £130,000 a week, said that he was “truly sorry” after he was fined £86,000 and banned from driving for 20 months.
Mcpartlin looked gaunt in the dock as the judge explained that up until 2015 the maximum fine had been £5,000, but the law had been changed so that it reflected a person’s earnings.
Wimbledon magistrates’ court heard that the star had been struggling with the breakdown of his 11-year marriage and had been seeking help for “alcohol and emotional issues” when he had a relapse and got behind the wheel.
With his mother in the passenger seat, Mcpartlin – one half of the entertainment duo Ant and Dec – took a corner in Mortlake, south-west London, “like a rocket” and lost control, crashing into two oncoming vehicles.
The mother driving one of the vehicles described how her son was crying out “I’m dying mummy, I’m dying” after the crash at 3.50pm on March 18. The BMW driver, named only as Dr Ng, said in a statement: “Although he was physically fine, he was clearly in shock. As there was no movement from the driver of the black Mini I thought he might have died.”
Faheem Vanoo, a restaurant owner driving the Mini Cooper car which was the first to be struck, said he swerved to avoid a head-on collision but was still “hit with considerable force”. He said: “My family were in considerable shock and believe if I had not taken evasive action we could have died as a result of Mr Mcpartlin’s reckless driving.”
Mcpartlin’s mother, Christine, was unaware that he had had a relapse before getting into his Mini, it was said.
In a statement to police Mcpartlin said: “I’m ashamed and mortified that it happened and I fully accept what I did and I wish to apologise to all concerned. I accept by being in the public eye, higher levels of behaviour are expected of me. I’m incredibly disappointed I have let myself and many others down with my actions.
“I’m addressing what I recognise are problems with alcohol and I am seeking specialist help.”
Mcpartlin, who lives in Chiswick, west London, admitted a single charge of drink driving which stated that he was more than double the legal limit with 75 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
Sentencing him, District Judge Barbara Barnes told him his behaviour had left fans disappointed and stripped him of his former “exemplary” character.
Alongside the £86,000 fine he was also told to pay £255 in costs. In 2016, the footballer Yaya Toure was given what was believed to be the biggest ever fine for drink-driving then of £54,000 – one week’s wages – and banned from driving for 18 months.
Speaking after the hearing, Mcpartlin said: “I’m truly sorry for what happened. High standards are expected of me, I expect them of myself. I’ve let myself down, I let a lot of people down. And for that I am truly sorry. I’d like to apologise to everybody involved in the crash and I’m just thankful no one was seriously hurt.”