While Ant McPartlin is missing from our screens on I’m a Celebrity this year, he may have been working with Declan Donnelly and his replacement Holly Willoughby behind-the-scenes according to one ITV presenter. Emma Jessen, an ITV weather presenter, took to Twitter to claim that the production team have been consulting Ant over Dec and Holly’s jokes on the live show.
"I am informed that Ant was consulted for scripted Holly & Dec links for @imacelebrity series 2018 #imacelebrity #imaceleb @Ant_McPartlin @antanddec… top move production team if this is the case, can see his hallmarks there," she wrote.
An ITV weather presenter suggested Ant still has a role in I'm a Celebrity
Ant is taking a year-long break from television following his arrest for drink-driving in March, but gave Holly his blessing to take over his usual role on the hit ITV show before it began earlier in November. "All the very best of luck little fella and @hollywills for the show tonight. Lots of love from the big fella! A. I'm A Celeb. X," he wrote. However, he has since stayed quiet and hasn’t shared any feedback on the show, which has been a ratings success with its new line-up.
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The show's first episode hit a peak of 11.9 million viewers, making it the show's highest rated launch in the past five years. It was also the biggest overnight rating of 2018 outside of World Cup matches. The ratings continued to stay strong, with a subsequent show in the first week peaking at 10.5 million people, up on last year by +1.4 million viewers.
I'm a Celebrity has had the biggest launch in five years
Ant’s role on the show is still unclear, but he appears to have been focusing on his recovery and personal life during his step back from television. At the weekend, he was seen looking delighted as he was reunited with his pet dog Hurley after holidaying with his new girlfriend Anne-Marie Corbett. He is currently caught in the middle of a custody battle over the dog with his ex-wife Lisa Armstrong as part of their divorce settlement, which is set to be a record breaking £31million.
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