Ant McPartlin has made some sweet comments about becoming a new dad.
Together with best mate Declan Donnelly, the star has presented some of the country's most well-loved shows - such as Pop Idol, Saturday Night Takeaway and Britain's Got Talent. The Geordie favourites are currently Down Under, hosting the latest series of I'm A Celebrity, which kicked off on Sunday (November 17).
However, away from the cameras and his public persona, Ant has become a family man, having recently tied the knot to his wife and welcoming his first child. As a result, his family life has now taken centre stage as he looks to raise a little clan of his own.
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So, as Ant celebrates his 49th birthday today (November 18), Daily Star looks at his ever-changing family life.
Becoming a dad
Ant and his wife Anne-Marie Corbett welcomed their first baby, Wilder Patrick, back in May of this year. They announced his arrival with a sweet black and white social media snap of first-time father Ant holding the little bundle.
The caption read: "Welcome to the family. Wilder Patrick McPartlin. Born, 14/05/24 at 8.54am. Baby is beautiful, Mummy's a legend, Sisters are over the moon. Dad's a mess!".
The 49-year-old I'm A Celebrity host returned to screens with his best mate Dec on Sunday night (November 17). The Geordie duo were back in action as the likes of McFly star Danny Jones, GK Barry and Coleen Rooney entered the jungle.
But despite his return to TV with I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, Ant is still in dad mode as he was spotted holding baby son Wilder during a break in filming on Monday (November 18) as he celebrated his 49th birthday.
Scaling back on TV jobs
Back in February, it was announced that Ant and Dec's longtime series Saturday Night Takeaway would be retired after twenty seasons. While the pair released a joint statement saying it was the "perfect time to catch our breath", Ant admitted he needed to scale back his work life to fit his family in.
In an interview with Fault magazine at the time, he explained: "On a more personal level, part of the reason we're pausing Takeaway is we need a break ourselves, and we need to spend some time with our family. We've both got children that we need to spend time with for a little bit; we need time to think and, and time to step back and look at the bigger picture and just see where we are now."
'Sleepless nights'
After becoming a dad for the first time this year, Ant has spent a lot of time reflecting on his life and his past relationships, and in a rare chat about fatherhood, said that his life is better than ever. Ant, who is a stepfather to his wife Anne-Marie Corbett's children, described the mood at home after Wilder arrived.
Speaking to Daily Star in September, Ant said: "I'm really good, I'm really happy. There are lots of nappies and sleepless nights, but it's absolutely wonderful."
Ant also added that best mate Dec has been giving him advice on what to do with the babies to make sure he is doing his bit. However, Dec himself has been less than confident with the words of wisdom he has been giving Ant.
"I do share tips and things," Dec said, "but they're very bad. My tips are normally: give the baby to somebody else! That's it."
Marrying wife Anne-Marie
Ant has been happily married to doting wife Anne-Marie since they tied the knot back in 2021. Since then, Ant has slotted himself perfectly into her life as a parent, helping Anne with the two children she welcomed into the world with former husband Scott Corbett.
"I've got two step-daughters, 13 and 15 and they are more socially aware at that age than I was in my mid-20s, than I still am," he gushed over his stepchildren. "It's not going to be our generation that saves the world. Look at Greta Thunberg, single-handedly almost making the world aware of climate change. It's that kind of energy that this generation has got and they'll save the rest of us. We're just trying to make it easier for them."
However, Ant himself has been married before, having been together with childhood sweetheart Lisa Armstrong until they split in 2018. Just six months later, Ant was seen happily in the relationship with his new wife, which sparked heavy speculation online.
The Geordie, however, was quick to point out that there was no betrayal in the demise of his relationship with Lisa. He explained in an interview with The Sun: "I don't feel the need to defend Anne-Marie but I will say you've got to be careful judging other people's relationships or what you think is the truth that's been put out there," while pals of the couple clarified that Anne-Marie had no part in Ant and Lisa's split.
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