Ant McPartlin is officially a dad! The presenter – who welcomed his son, Wilder, this week – announced the news on social media, but his post caused some confusion.
After sharing a photo of his newborn cuddled into his arm, fans noted Ant's family tree tattoo, which included tributes to his wife, Anne-Marie, two stepdaughters – Daisy and Poppy – and beloved dogs, Milo and Bumble. But, after some suggested that his chocolate labrador, Hurley, was missing, the TV star cleared things up.
Returning to X on Saturday, Ant began: "Hey all, I just wanted to say thank you so much for the kind messages of love and well wishes for our baby Wilder. He's doing great.
"Glad you loved the tattoo as well. For all you dog lovers who asked why my beloved Hurley wasn't on the family tree..he was!! He was just covered by our newborn. All my love, gratitude and heartfelt thanks."
© InstagramAnt, 48, welcomed his first child with his wife of three years, Anne-Marie, on Tuesday. Confirming the news on social media, he wrote: "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!"
Ant and Anne-Marie – who tied the knot in 2021 – will raise their son at the £6 million home they share in Wimbledon. The couple has plenty of space in their London abode to raise their blended family, which includes Anne-Marie's daughters Daisy and Poppy from a previous relationship.
While the couple had been extremely private about their pregnancy, Ant's stepfather told The Sun that he was "very happy" about becoming a father this year.
© Getty/Karwai TangAdditionally, Mail Online has reported that Ant's best friend and long-time presenting partner, Declan Donnelly, has been given the honour of serving as the baby's godfather.
After years of friendship, Ant was appointed godfather to Dec's children – Isla (born in 2019) and Jack (born in 2022) – whom he shares with his wife, Ali Astall. So, it's hardly surprising that Ant would return the favour.
© GettyFor Ant and Dec, family is the most important thing, which is why the duo decided to take a break from their hit gameshow, Saturday Night Takeaway. In April, Ant and Dec hosted their final episode for the foreseeable future, telling the audience that they wanted to "spend time with family".
"We love making Saturday Night Takeaway but reaching the milestone of 20 series seemed like the perfect time to pause for a little while and catch our breath," they said.
© Kieron McCarronAnt also told Fault Magazine: "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."
