Television presenter Ant McPartlin has humorously suggested he 'needs to cry more' after a blocked tear duct resulted in a severely swollen eye, causing significant discomfort and disrupting his day off. The 50-year-old star confirmed the irritation sidelined him during a recording session for his latest Hanging Out podcast with co-host Declan Donnelly on Thursday, describing symptoms including watery eyes, sticky discharge, and crusty eyelids.
Rocky-Style Swelling And Pharmacy Encounter
Sharing a photo of the affected eye with Donnelly and their production team, McPartlin admitted he resembled someone who had taken a punch to the face. He quipped, 'You know when you watch Rocky, and at the end there's all the prosthetics and he's been beaten up and he's got a big black eye? It looks like prosthetics, but it's a blocked tear duct - apparently I need to cry more.' The presenter revealed he took a selfie of the swollen eye while queuing to collect prescribed antibiotics from a local pharmacy, expressing frustration that it ruined his day off.
McPartlin recounted, 'You can see my eye's bad, you can tell by my expression I'm not in the best of moods because my eye's bad on my day off. It's ruined my day off.' In a light-hearted moment, he added that the pharmacist asked for a selfie, to which he agreed, resulting in a pharmacist somewhere possessing a photo of him in that state.
Graham Norton Show Appearance With Heavy Makeup
The eye remained swollen when the presenting duo appeared on Friday evening's instalment of The Graham Norton Show, filmed in front of a studio audience. This necessitated frantic attempts to cover it with makeup before they took to the stage. McPartlin recalled, 'It took a while to go down, days to go down. And I saw [Dec] since and it was bigger, but we were doing Graham Norton and we had to put lots of makeup on it.' He described the sensation as feeling blocked with an orange, though noted it was improving.
During the BBC show, the presenters were joined by actress Claire Foy, Stranger Things star Joe Keery, and rapper Tinie Tempah. McPartlin also shared an anecdote about following King Charles for a year for a TV programme, including an invitation to spend the night before their final interview at his Dumfries House residence in Ayrshire. He told Norton, 'We were like ‘Hell, yes!’ It was amazing and everything you’d imagine. I tried on the robe that was in my room and ran out into the corridor to find Dec and there was the prince. He said "hello" and started talking to me about pruning roses. I was so embarrassed.' Donnelly added that they got a bit noisy with wine in their room and were asked to be quiet.
New Podcast And Belta Box Launch
When asked about their new podcast, Hanging Out with Ant & Dec, Donnelly explained, 'We know each other inside out and we make each other laugh, so hopefully people will like it. Our wives are more nervous than us – they think we might give too much away.' The podcast is hosted on their newly launched digital entertainment channel, Belta Box, which features brand-new digital formats alongside classic Ant and Dec moments from some of their best-loved shows.
The series is completely unscripted, with no agenda and no interruptions, allowing the pair to catch up, reminisce about their decades-long friendship, and reflect on their careers. Belta Box is available across several major digital platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, offering fans a fresh way to engage with the beloved presenting duo.
