ITV presenter Anthony McPartlin has spoken candidly about his sobriety, in rare comments made in a new interview alongside his longtime showbiz pal Declan Donnelly
ITV star Ant McPartlin has made rare comments about his decision to go sober – after he was arrested for drink-driving in 2018.
The presenter admits he is happier than he has been “in a long, long time” as he reflects on turning 50 — with co-host Declan Donnelly saying the presenter is now “a much better person than he was before”. The I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! star opened up in a candid interview, where he spoke about how difficult his early forties were and how life has changed for the better in recent years.
Ant, who stepped away from the spotlight in 2018 following a drink-driving conviction and entered rehab, has largely avoided speaking publicly about his recovery. In the interview, however, he acknowledged how sobriety has reshaped his outlook on both work and life.
“Turning 50 for me was great because my early forties was a really tough time,” McPartlin told The Sunday Times. “These last few years, it’s the happiest I’ve been in a long, long time.”
“What changes as you get older, especially being sober as well, for me, is the purpose,” he explained. Despite his long-running TV success alongside Dec, Ant suggested that his priorities are now firmly rooted beyond his career. The duo have fronted some of ITV’s biggest shows for over two decades, including Britain’s Got Talent, Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and I’m a Celebrity, which they film live from Australia.
Ant described how filming the hit jungle series still gives him a huge sense of fulfilment — but only in the moment. “When you’re live on I’m a Celebrity in Australia and you’re in the moment with your best friend, there’s nowhere else I want to be,” he said. However, he added that the feeling changes once the cameras stop rolling and normal life resumes. “But as soon as we finish, we go back to our apartments by the beach and we’re with our families. That’s where we want to be right then.”
Ant, 50, and his best friend Dec, also 50, have enjoyed a lengthy career in showbiz after meeting one another on the set of Byker Grove in 1989. The pair have hosted a string of high-profile shows across four decades from the ’90s to now – including CD:UK and Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. The pair have remained professionally inseparable ever since, even during Ant’s absence from television while he sought treatment.
When asked what they most admired about each other, Ant gave a light-hearted response, saying he admired Dec’s vocabulary. Dec’s answer, however, was notably emotional. “What I most admire is that with the challenges he’s faced, especially over the last few years, Ant took responsibility and real action,” Dec said. “He worked on himself so much to get back not just to being himself but actually being a much better person than he was before.”
Ant returned to television in 2019, resuming his presenting duties alongside Dec. Since then, the pair have continued to dominate ITV’s entertainment schedule, with Saturday Night Takeaway recently coming to an end after its 20th series.
Ant married Anne-Marie Corbett in 2021 and welcomed his first child last year, while Dec is also a father of two. Both presenters have spoken previously about how becoming parents has altered their perspective on work.
Source: Mirror
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