Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have revealed they’re pausing Saturday Night Takeaway to focus more on family time, ahead of Ant welcoming his first child.
The Geordie duo, both 48, will return to ITV1 to front the show’s 20th series at 7pm on February 24, months after announcing its temporary hiatus.
And now Ant has opened up about the real reasons for the show’s pause in an interview with Fault Magazine as he publicly addressed his wife’s pregnancy for the first time, saying: ‘We need to spend some time with our family. We’ve both got children.’
It comes as Ant is set to become a father for the first time in June as his wife Anne-Marie Corbett, 46, is pregnant. It will be Ant’s first while Anne-Marie has two children from her previous marriage.
Meanwhile Dec shares two children – Isla, age five, and Jack, one, with his wife Ali Astall.
It was previously rumoured in December last year Anne-Marie could be expecting their first child, after she appeared to be several months pregnant while returning from a trip to Dubai.
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Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have revealed that they’re pausing Saturday Night Takeaway to focus on family time ahead of Ant welcoming his first child
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Ant is set to become a father for the first time in June as his wife Anne-Marie Corbett, 46, is pregnant. It will be Ant’s first while Anne-Marie has two children (pictured last month)
Speaking to the publication as they posed for animated shots together Ant said: ‘On a more personal level, part of the reason we’re pausing Takeaway is we need a break ourselves, and we need to spend some time with our family.
‘We’ve both got children that we need to spend time with for a little bit. We need time to think and, and time to step back and look at the bigger picture and just see where we are now.’
Also in the candid interview the pair reflected on their relationship after working together for decades.
Ant told how they had ‘both changed’ over their years and sometimes have to ‘give each other space’ as ‘maintaining their friendship doesn’t come naturally’.
He said: ‘We started working together when we were 13, and we became friends very quickly. But, you know, we’re both, were are both 49 this year.
‘We’re obviously not the same people that we were when we were 13. So throughout our career, you know, we’ve both changed. But being able to maintain that friendship doesn’t come naturally.
‘Sometimes you have to work with friendships, and sometimes you have to compromise and sometimes you have to give each other space and time and whatever.’
The interview comes as Ant reportedly told his Britain’s Got Talent co-stars he is ‘beyond delighted’ to become a father.
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Ant spoke about the real reasons for the show’s pause as he addressed his wife’s pregnancy for the first time, saying: ‘We need to spend some time with our family. We’ve both got children’
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Posing for animated shots together, Ant said: ‘On a more personal level, part of the reason we’re pausing Takeaway is we need a break ourselves, and we need to spend some time with our family’
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The Geordie duo, both 48, will return to ITV1 to front the show’s 20th series at 7pm on February 24, months after announcing its temporary hiatus
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Ant credits his wife, who he married in a lavish £500k wedding in 2021, for getting him through his alcohol and prescription drug addictions (seen at their wedding)
According to The Sun Ant had already confided the wonderful news to Dec following weeks of speculation.
Anne-Marie, who has two children from her previous marriage, is believed to have already had her five-month scan which allowed the couple to confidently let the cat out of the bag.
A source told the publication: ‘This is the news everyone wanted. Ant and Anne- Marie are beyond delighted.’
‘It’s no secret that Ant has always wanted children, but that it may never happen for him was something he had, sadly, come to terms with.’
They went on to describe Ant as a ‘wonderful doting father’ to Anne-Marie’s children and said the couple did everything they could to keep the news a secret for as long as possible.
Adding: ‘To be having a child two years short of his 50th birthday, with the love of his life, is the stuff of dreams for Ant.’
Ant has always been open about his desire to be a father.
In 2013 he revealed his and ex-wife Lisa Armstrong’s struggles, saying: ‘There’s a rumour that I’m holding off having kids till Dec finds himself Mrs Right.
‘I love that idea, but I’m afraid it’s not true. Lisa and I would love to have kids. We’re trying. It’s tougher than you think when you get a bit older.’
The TV star credits his wife, who he married in a lavish £500k wedding in 2021, for getting him through his alcohol and prescription drug addictions.
Ant and Dec put on an animated display in the quarterly publication Fault as they posed together.
Dec, sporting a green suede jacket, rested his chin in his hand and raised an eyebrow as he rested his arm on Ant.
Ant sat on a stool and wore a dark brown leather jacket and black trousers, folding his hands contentedly and sweetly looking up on Dec.
In another shot, Dec wore a dark denim suit with white and green trainers and Ant wore a black jacket and white T-shirt with white trainers.
The two sported huge toothy grins as they jostled for a seat on the stool, Ant’s arm outstretched to balance them.
It comes after ITV bosses confirmed Saturday Night Takeaway will return to our screens on Saturday.
The variety show debuted in 2002, returning annually until 2009, when it went on a four-year break. It then aired every February from 2010 until present – bar 2019.
Ant and Dec sadly revealed that this series will be the programme’s last for a while, over 100 episodes later.
The pair will continue their exclusive working relationship with ITV, hosting hit shows including I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Britain’s Got Talent and Limitless Win, all of which air across ITV1 and ITVX.
But Saturday Night Takeaway will be given a break once the series 20 finale has aired, with its long-term future yet to be determined, either by ITV or its two hosts.
Highlights coming up in the live launch show include Stephen Merchant as the Guest Announcer, the unveiling of a brand new little Ant & Dec, a must watch and hilarious Simon Cowell Undercover and a special End of the Show Show featuring singer Becky Hill and Urban Theory.
Later in the series there’s Get Out Of Me Ear: The Revenge; where celebrities who have been hidden camera victims of Ant & Dec over the years get their revenge.
In May, the show’s Geordie presenting duo announced that the multiple BAFTA-winning show will take a break after 2024.
Ant said: ‘We love making Saturday Night Takeaway, but reaching the milestone of 20 series seemed like the perfect time to pause for a little while and catch our breath.’
The series has spawned numerous iconic segments, including Win the Ads, Undercover, Get Out Of Me Ear, The End of Show Show and the Happiest Minute of the Week.
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The pair got together after meeting while Anne-Marie worked for Ant and his former wife, Lisa Armstrong (pictured in 2021)
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Ant was always open about his desire to be a father and tried unsuccessfully for a child with his ex-wife Lisa (pictured at their wedding in 2006)
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Ant and Dec previously revealed that this series of SNT will be the programme’s last for a while, over 100 episodes later, as the variety programme goes on hiatus
Ant and Dec have teased their ‘very, very funny’ prank on Simon Cowell in the famous Undercover segment as Saturday Night Takeaway gets set to return.
The popular segment of the show he will appear in sees the pair dress up in disguises in a bid to prank their famous friends.
It comes after the music mogul, 64, returned to work on Britain’s Got Talent insisting he’s in ‘fantastic health’ after he was forced to pull out of filming auditions due to a painful illness.
