After taking a few months off to focus on his recovery from alcohol addiction, Anthony McPartlin has been back to work by filming Britain's Got Talent with his co-presenter, Declan Donnelly. However, the pair have confirmed that Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway won't be returning until 2020, and ITV producer Kevin Lygo has now revealed why. Chatting to The Courier, he said: "It will be back next year. It was the right decision, because with Ant, we didn't want him working last year so it was, it wasn't just a year off on air, it was a year off from work and getting himself straight. And he's done that really well and I'm delighted he's back and fit."
Ant and Dec are now working on Britain's Got Talent
Kevin added that Saturday Night Takeaway requires a huge amount of planning that wouldn't have been done in time, explaining: "There was a tonne of preparation and Ant and Dec particularly put so much effort in and work so hard… If you think of how it's put together… all those things they do are recorded before the year, they would have been done last September, October, November, and we took the decision, Ant took the decision, that he couldn't sort of half get back into work."
READ: Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly make fun of Amanda Holden with cheeky snap
Ant and Dec appear to be back on top, particularly after winning the Best Presenter award at the NTAs for the 18th year running in January. After it was announced, Ant thanked his best friend, saying: "This is a genuine shock. Especially this year… I really don't think I can accept this award this year. The one reason we won this year is this guy - his hard work, dedication, funniness and being the best mate that is out there."
READ: Ant McPartlin adopts TWO adorable puppies with girlfriend Anne-Marie Corbett