Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have apologised and deleted a promotional video for their new podcast after fans accused them of being insensitive to suicide. The clip, posted on their Belta Box social media channels on Friday, showed the duo hanging from a washing line, with an opening image of Dec's feet suspended in the air.
Viewers criticised the post as triggering and in poor taste, given its resemblance to suicide imagery. The pair, both 50, said in a statement: 'We did not mean to cause any offence with this promo video and we are sorry if it has upset anyone. We have taken on board the comments and have deleted the video.'
Despite the removal, criticism continued online, with many noting the duo's previous involvement in ITV's 2021 mental health campaign Britain Get Talking. Former X Factor contestant Katie Waissel called the video 'sickening', saying it 'immediately reads as someone hanging'.
The podcast, titled Hanging Out With Ant and Dec, is part of their new Belta Box entertainment channel, launched after they signed a £30 million deal with ITV. McPartlin described the channel as 'a space packed with fun, feel-good content'.
