Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, the beloved presenting duo, have revealed they had to repair their friendship after a period of tension during Ant's battle with addiction. The pair, who have worked together for over two decades, faced their greatest test in 2017 when Ant entered rehab for prescription drug and alcohol problems.
Dec admitted he was 'incredibly angry' that Ant did not confide in him about his struggles. In a 2019 documentary, Dec said: 'I was incredibly angry at the start, so angry and disappointed in him that he didn't ever come to me and say I'm struggling.' Ant acknowledged the hurt, saying: 'There was a point where I thought, "That was it".'
The duo took a step back to reassess their friendship. Dec explained on a podcast: 'Because there was so much uncertainty with our career and partnership, we had to really step back and take stock of it all - almost to get our friendship back on track.'
Ant, who will marry his former PA Anne-Marie Corbett this weekend, has Dec as his best man for the second time. Dec was also best man at Ant's first wedding to Lisa Armstrong in 2006. The pair's bond has strengthened since Ant's return to television in 2019.
