Declan Donnelly baby: Ant McPartlin ‘thrilled’ as co-star and Ali Astall confirm pregnancy
DECLAN DONNELLY confirmed that he and his wife Ali Astall are expecting their first child together last night, and the Saturday Night Takeaway presenter’s best friend and TV sidekick Ant McPartlin is said to be overjoyed at the happy news.
Declan Donnelly baby news: Ant McPartlin is believed to have 'mixed emotions' about the news
Ant McPartlin leaves his house after police interview
Declan Donnelly’s Ant and Dec co-star Ant McPartlin is currently taking a break from his current TV commitments as he seeks treatment in rehab following his drink-driving charge on Wednesday.
The 42-year-old is said to be "thrilled" for his best friend, who announced on Instagram yesterday that he and Ali, 40, are expecting their first child together.
An insider told The Mirror: “Ant is thrilled for Dec and Ali but the news sparked other emotions because he has always wanted children.”
Earlier today, Dec seemed unable to stop smiling as he was spotted stepping out for the first time since confirming the good news.
Ant is thrilled for Dec and Ali but the news sparked other emotions because he has always wanted children
He wrote: “Just wanted to say thank you for all the lovely messages.
“Thanks for all the love, we really appreciate it. D x.”
Dec’s happy news comes shortly after Ant McPartlin was charged with drink-driving following his involvement in a three-car crash in Richmond, London on Sunday, in which he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Declan Donnelly baby news: Dec and his wife are expecting their first baby
Declan Donnelly baby news: Ant split from his wife Lisa Armstrong in January
Last week, it was confirmed that Ant was taking a break from his TV commitments to seek treatment to improve his health.
Ant’s agent told Express.co.uk: “Ant has decided to go back into treatment and step down from his current TV commitments.
"He has spoken with Dec and ITV today and asked for time off for the foreseeable future. As such Saturday Night Takeaway will not be going ahead this Saturday."
Since the announcement, Dec confirmed that he will be presenting the duo’s show alone for its last two episodes.
Just wanted to say thank you for all the lovely messages. The news has sneaked out a little earlier than we had hoped but Ali and I are delighted to be expecting our first child. Thanks for all the love, we really appreciate it ❤️ D x pic.twitter.com/g7mZrWLYs4
— antanddec (@antanddec) March 25, 2018
Declan Donnelly baby news: Dec will present without Ant
Declan Donnelly baby: Dec visited Ant after his drink-driving arrest last week
Dec took to the twosome’s social media to confirm he will be hosting solo for the first time without his TV sidekick.
He wrote: “Whilst I never thought I’d be in this position, after much discussion and careful consideration we’ve decided that the remaining two shows of this series of Saturday Night Takeaway will go ahead.
“We made a promise to take hundreds of deserving winners to Florida to watch the series finale, and we will honour that. Everyone at ITV and the Takeaway team feels we owe it to the audience to complete the series.”
Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway returns next Saturday on ITV.