Ant McPartlin has opened up about his reunion with his estranged father, who he has not been in contact with for the past 32 years. He told The Guardian: "My dad and I didn’t speak for a long time, but we’re talking again now, which is great. He's good, he's funny. I'm slowly getting to know him again.” Ray McPartlin walked out on Ant and his family when he was just ten years old. The presenter revealed that he understood why his father might have decided not to get in touch with him before, in fear of being seen to be taking advantage of his fame. "I respect him a lot for it," he said. "He’s a proud man, a worker, a plumber. I’m thrilled that I’m back in touch."
Ant revealed he had reunited with his estranged father
Both Ant and Dec also spoke out about how they coped following Ant's drink-driving incident and subsequent return to rehab in 2018 – with Dec wiping away a tear as he revealed he had considered launching a solo career. "I’d be lying if I said the thought hadn’t crossed my mind. Of course I thought about it," he told the publication.
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Despite the revelation, the presenting duo, who have worked with each other for 30 years, have previously vowed to never split up. In their joint autobiography, Ooh! What A Lovely Pair, they wrote: "Neither one of us would ever be on our own out there. We made an agreement – whatever happened, we'd be mates forever, and neither one of us would ever be on our own out there. If it all ended tomorrow, we'd still speak every day, we'd still see each other all the time and we'd still be best mates. And that's something we're both very proud of."
Ant and Dec will soon be on-screens together again
Ant is set to be the subject of an upcoming documentary about his difficult year. Peter Andre will present the Channel 5 show, and writing in his new! magazine column, the singer revealed: "I can't give too much away because I don't know what will make the final cut, but it's basically about the pressures of the industry and the trials and tribulations facing Ant following his drink-driving arrest and rehab stint."
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