Ant McPartlin has opened up about the aftermath of his drink-drive arrest last year. The accident, which took place in Richmond, caused some friction between him and his best friend Declan Donnelly. "He's angry, of course he’s angry. But it's justified and I understood it," he told The Sun. "Underneath all of that is love and still is love. And that’s what we talked about more than anything." The 43-year-old was found guilty of drink-driving, fined £86,000 and given a 20-month driving ban. He subsequently pulled out of hosting Saturday Night Takeaway, leaving Dec to front the show alone.
© Photo: Getty ImagesAnt has opened up about his friendship with Dec
Dec was also forced to present the Britain's Got Talent live shows alone, while he was joined by Holly Willoughby to host the latest series of I'm A Celebrity. "I saw Dec the day after the crash and we didn't even speak work," added Ant. "It wasn't about that. It was about, 'How are you?' I said: 'I'm not right.' You know, mentally I wasn't in a good place."
READ: What is Declan Donnelly's net worth?
Ant has spent the past ten months off work, after he was charged for drinking under the influence in spring 2018 following the crash. But the TV star made a comeback on Friday, reprising his co-hosting duties with Dec on Britain's Got Talent. Ant received a warm welcome from Dec, the celebrity judges and the audience at the London Palladium, who were watching the first auditions for the talent competition. They also delighted fans by posing for their first selfie together. In a picture posted on their joint Instagram account, the caption read: " #BGT 2019. Audition day 1. The boys are back in town!" This is the first time the co-hosts have been seen together for work since last year's BGT auditions.
MORE: Ant McPartlin shares what he really thought of Holly Willoughby on I'm a Celebrity
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