ANT McPartlin delighted fans when he returned to Britain’s Got Talent this year after taking some time out from work.
Here’s why he needed to take a step back and why his big comeback has been such a huge success…
Ant appeared in the first episodes of Britain’s Got Talent 2018 which were filmed in January and February, however, Ant was arrested and subsequently plead guilty to drink-driving on March 18.
Ant crashed his Mini in South West London, which left a three-year-old girl in hospital.
This meant that for a few weeks, during the audition rounds, Ant was hosting BGT alongside Dec.
But during the live shows, Dec was on presenting duties alone.
A spokesman for the show confirmed at the time: “Declan Donnelly will host Britain’s Got Talent live shows on his own while Ant McPartlin ‘steps down from his TV commitments for now’.”
A statement from Ant’s publicist said he would step down from TV commitments for the “foreseeable future” while after he checked into rehab.
On Sunday, March 18, 2018, Ant was involved in a three-car smash in Richmond, London.
On Wednesday, March 21, 2018, the Met Police confirmed the TV star was being charged with drink driving.
McPartlin attended Kingston police station and was interviewed before being charged.
The presenter was fined £86,000 and given a 20-month driving ban after pleading guilty to drink driving in April 2018.
In an interview with The Sun, Ant revealed that his partner Dec was furious when he found out about his drink driving arrest.
Recalling their first words to each other the day after the crash, Ant, 43, said: “He’s angry, of course he’s angry.
“But it’s justified and I understood it.”
Ant also spent his two-month stint in rehab in summer 2017 after enduring a two-year addiction to strong
The star’s descent into dangerous prescription drugs came after he damaged his knee in 2014, then had a botched operation on it the following year.
Ant returned to the show at the start of the 2019 series.
Not only were fans delighted to see him, but they were glad to see the presenter took the time out he needed to battle his demons.
He now plans to talk openly about his depression, drug-addiction and alcohol-dependency in the hope of inspiring other men in the 40s to do the same and get the help they need.
Ant and Anne-Marie Corbett were first seen together in March 2018 when she sent him off to work with a packed lunch.
She was pictured walking Ant’s dog with him in April that year after he left rehab, and in June they were spotted again enjoying a shopping trip at Harrods, with Ant looking healthy and happy.
They are now regularly spotted together as their relationship is fully out in the open.
Lisa Armstrong, 42, was born October 26, 1976, in Oxford.
She started her career as a dancer but in 1994 joined the band Deuce.
Their debut single Call It Love was released in January 1994 and entered the UK charts at number 21, working its way up to peak at number 11.
The band went on to release two more singles and an album before splitting up in 1997.
Lisa and Ant met at a pop concert at Newcastle City Hall in 1994, when she was performing with Deuce and he was performing with his best pal Declan Donnelly in their band PJ & Duncan.
Lisa officially divorced from Ant on October 16, 2018, with a decree nisi granted on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour.
Ant’s net worth is estimated to be around £62million.
His 2007 presenting deal with ITV was rumoured to be worth around £40million.
Ant and Dec are both property investors too – reportedly owning properties worth around £10million combined.
It is also believed that they are each insured against the other’s death, with the amount being around £1million.
