In a remarkably candid and heartfelt discussion on their popular podcast, television icons Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have both confessed to profound regrets about not starting their families earlier in life. The beloved presenting duo, each aged 50, described fatherhood as "our biggest achievement," surpassing all their professional accolades in entertainment.
Revealing Personal Regrets on Fatherhood
During the latest episode of "Hanging Out With Ant & Dec," the pair responded to a listener's question about their experiences as parents. Declan Donnelly, known as Dec, expressed his feelings with genuine emotion. "It's the best thing ever. I wish I'd done it earlier and I wish I'd had 10," he gushed, before humorously amending, "maybe not 10. Maybe three." Ant McPartlin immediately agreed, stating, "I've got three and I'd have more."
Ant's Blended Family Experience
Ant McPartlin welcomed his first biological child, a son named Wilder, with his wife Anne-Marie Corbett, 47, in May 2024. He also serves as stepfather to Anne-Marie's two teenage daughters from a previous relationship. Reflecting on his unique parenting journey, Ant shared, "It is the best, the absolute best being a dad. And I was lucky enough to be stepdad to my girls a few years before my son was born."
He elaborated on the advantages of his situation, saying, "I feel like I had a really great introduction to fatherhood because I got to be able to talk to them straight away. We could go out and the feedback was immediate. And then when Wilder came along, I got to do all of the baby and toddler stuff that I didn't get to do with the girls. So, I've had the best of both worlds really."
Dec's Family Life and Emotional Insights
Declan Donnelly has two young children with his wife, Ali Astall, also 47: a seven-year-old daughter named Isla and a three-year-old son named Jack. He provided touching insights into the emotional transformation of parenthood. "It changes you for the better. All of the sleepless nights, the early mornings, the tiredness is worth it. It's the greatest thing I think you can do. It far surpasses anything that we've achieved in our career," Dec affirmed.
He specifically addressed the common parental fear about loving multiple children equally, recounting, "For me, I was lucky enough to have two, a girl and a boy. I was a bit worried before Jack came along because I thought, 'God, am I ever going to be able to love him as much as I love Isla?' Do I have to half my love to both of them? Do they both get half of my love? Because she's got it all at the moment. And then he came along and you realise then, oh no, you don't half anything. You get double the love. You reach another level within you that you just find more love for this other little thing."
Fatherhood as Their Ultimate Achievement
Both presenters were unanimous in elevating parenting above their storied television careers. Dec explicitly called parenthood "our biggest achievement. Of everything we've done professionally, it's the thing that I think we've got the most satisfaction from." He added a philosophical note, stating, "When they first come along, you don't realise how much they change your life, but for the better, the absolute better. And it's almost like when they do come along, you've discovered the meaning of life."
Lighthearted Podcast Banter About Kissing
In a lighter segment from the same podcast episode, Ant McPartlin sparked humorous discomfort from his co-host by sharing intimate details about his marriage. While discussing Harry Styles' new album, "Kiss All The Time Disco Occasionally," Ant revealed, "I do kiss a lot though. I do like kissing. It's one of the things to do. My wife, the same person. I'm not going around just kissing loads of people."
Dec reacted with visible unease, grimacing at the camera before telling Ant, "Thought you were gonna stick one on us there." As Ant continued to extol the virtues of kissing, saying "they get better as you get older," Dec interjected, "I find this a bit icky. Just keep it for the bedroom." Ant, married to Anne-Marie Corbett since August 2021, persisted, "I like kissing we should kiss more. Not me and you. People should just kiss. Kissing's great isn't it. Think of the first kiss you ever had, and the kisses got better as you got older. It's great." Dec concluded the exchange with a final, "Keep it for the kitchen or wherever you do it but don't broadcast it to everybody!"
This blend of sincere reflection on family life and playful on-air chemistry underscores why Ant and Dec remain enduring figures in British entertainment, now navigating the profound joys and occasional humorous tensions of fatherhood alongside their professional partnership.
