Moffatt denies fling with troubled star

CELEBRITY SCARLETT Moffatt has branded rumours of a fling between her and Ant McPartlin as “ludicrous”. The 27-year-old Geordie, in

set, claimed that McPartlin, who has recently been back in rehab for treatment for alcohol abuse problems, is like her “big brother”.

McPartlin confirmed in January that he and his wife of 11 years Lisa Armstrong were to divorce.

Speaking to Mail on Sunday You Mag

azine, Moffatt said: “This came about from a few tweets from random people with, like, two followers, and then some journalists turned those tweets into a story.

“That’s not a story. Ant is like my big brother. It’s so ludicrous it didn’t even warrant a response.

“Everyone who knows us knows how silly it is. I can laugh about it.”

McPartlin, who is part of the hugely successful presenting duo Ant and Dec along with Declan

Donnelly, has had a very highprofile battle with alcohol. His problems came to a head last month when he crashed his Mini while more than twice the drink-drive limit. He was banned from driving for 20 months and handed an £86,000 fine, and checked into a private rehab clinic soon after. When asked how her fellow TV presenter was doing, Moffatt, who has appeared on the hugely popular ITV show Ant and Dec’s Saturday

Night Takeaway, said: “Ant and Dec have been so good to me. They’re my mentors.

“I feel I owe it to them to try not to talk about them. Out of respect.

“They are such genuinely nice people. I wish I could tell everyone how amazing they are, though.”

She added: “The Takeaway team is like a big family. Everyone who works on the show loves Ant and Dec – so we pulled together to make it the best we could.”