Declan Donnelly broke down in tears as he ressured his pal Ant McPartlin ‘it will all be OK’ in an emotional letter to his younger self.
Ant, 50, has previously shared his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, and he went sober after being found guilty of drink-driving in 2018.
In a moving preview clip for their podcast, Hanging Out With Ant and Dec, Dec became visibly emotional in the message to his younger self, breaking down as he admitted it was ‘hard’ to read.
Dec shared the letter to his younger self having previously read out entries from his teenage diary which he penned back in 1994, during his and Ant’s rise to fame.
‘This might be a hard bit,’ he said as he tried to hold back tears, while Ant said: ‘Yeah, I bet man.’
Gathering himself, Dec continued: ‘Say hi to 1994 Ant for me. Tell him to remember he’s a great kid, and it will all be ok. Even when it feels like it won’t.
Declan Donnelly broke down in tears as he ressured his pal Ant McPartlin ‘it will all be OK’ in an emotional letter to his younger self
Ant, 50, has previously shared his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, before going sober after being found guilty of drink-driving in 2018
‘Look out for each other, enjoy the ride and hey, respect guys. Love from future Dec.’
Ant recently declared he is the ‘happiest he has ever been’ after going sober following his ‘tough’ drink-driving ordeal in 2018.
The TV presenter’s career appeared to be in tatters when he was arrested for drink-driving close to his London home.
He was later handed a record £86,000 fine – thought to be the highest fine ever handed out by a British court for the offence. The star has since shared he quit drinking and went sober in the wake of his arrest.
Prior to that, Ant took a break from the spotlight and entered rehab in 2017 after sharing he’d become addicted to prescription drugs he’d been taking following a knee operation.
Ant reflected on his past decade with best pal Declan in the interview.
The father-of-one, who welcomed his first child with wife Anne-Marie in 2024, explained: ‘Turning 50 for me was great because my early forties was a really tough time. These last few years, it’s the happiest I’ve been in a long, long time.
‘What changes as you get older, especially being sober as well, for me, is the purpose.’
Dec explained in The Times: ‘What I most admire is that with the challenges he’s faced, especially over the last few years, Ant took responsibility and real action.
Dec shared the letter to his younger self having previously read out entries from his teenage diary which he penned back in 1994 (pictured in 1993)
The TV presenter’s career appeared to be in tatters when he was arrested for drink-driving close to his London home (pictured shortly after the incident)
‘He worked on himself so much to get back not just to being himself but actually being a much better person than he was before.
At the time of the ordeal, Ant was pictured looking dishevelled and out of sorts after colliding with a BMW after taking his dogs for a walk in nearby Richmond Park.
The star was already in the midst of a troublesome year, having sought treatment for an addiction to painkillers and confirmed his separation from wife Lisa Armstrong.
Then ITV cancelled Saturday Night Takeaway so he could enter residential rehabilitation for a second time.
Ant went on to find love with Anne-Marie Corbett.
Ant refers to Anne-Marie as his ‘rock and lifesaver’ and she took on the role of sober coach after he had a much publicised alcohol and prescription painkiller addiction, which he has now overcome.
The couple tied the knot in 2021 and are parents to their son Wilder, two, and teenage daughters Poppy and Daisy from Anne-Marie’s previous marriage to Scott Corbett.
Ant first embraced the quiet life in 2018 while in recovery and he said she was ‘his rock’ during this time.
He said: ‘I got out of hospital and I rented houses in the country and locked myself away and walked the dog. No TV or social media. I did nothing.
‘I barely watched the World Cup. I worked on myself and got well. For 16 years I’ve spent my birthday in Australia so I thought I’d spend it with Anne-Marie. It was gorgeous.’
Ant and Anne-Marie met back in 2017, when Anne-Marie began working with the TV host as his personal assistant.
She was previously married to Scott, but the pair split in October 2017 – the year Ant also split from his first wife, Lisa, who Anne-Marie also worked for and was friends with.
Ant has always maintained that their relationship began after they were both single saying Anne-Marie is ‘honest and good’.
The couple traded in their £6million Wimbledon home for a quieter £10million gated pad in Cobham, Surrey in February.
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