Fans thank Ant McPartlin for ‘putting a smile on faces’ as he returns to Saturday Night Takeaway
(Picture: ITV) Saturday Night Takeaway returned on Saturday evening with Ant McPartlin and Declan Do..
Saturday Night Takeaway returned on Saturday evening with Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, and viewers were pretty much over the moon and on their way to Mars to see the British presenters back on TV screens.
Although some viewers were left concerned by the appearance of Ant, with many suggesting he looked ‘anxious’ and ‘panicky’ in his first live TV appearance since the collapse of his marriage, the majority praised the 40-year-old for returning to TV after a tough 12 months.
honestly I’d cancel plans to stay in and watch Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, genuinely don’t think I’ve ever loved a show so much
— Gabby Fabrizio (@gabbyfabrizio) February 24, 2018
The popular ITV show returned on Saturday evening with more gags, sketches, and jokes that you can shake a stick at – as well as performances from Kylie Minogue – although viewers were left worried for Ant after he nearly toppled over in the show’s monster truck challenge.
For the show’s Ant Vs Dec challenge, the pair were challenged with racing around a track in monster trucks in the fastest time but Ant’s drive around the track nearly ended in disaster, as it drove up a ramp at a funny angle and crashed into a pile of mounted cars.
Seen holding his arm as he left the vehicle, co-host Stephen Mulhern said: ‘I think he’s hurt his arm by the way he’s holding it.’
Ant entered rehab in June 2017 after admitting he had been dealing with a two-year addiction to painkillers after a botched knee operation in 2015.
He later left rehab and moved to LA for several months before returning to work on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity. However it soon became apparent that he and wife Lisa Armstrong were battling a marriage crisis and in January Ant announced his decision to file for divorce in a statement in which Lisa reportedly refused to be named.
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Ant and Lisa met back in 1994 on the Smash Hits tour as teens, before getting married in 2006.
His spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘In response to the recent speculation in the media, Ant is very sad to announce that, after 11 years, he is ending his marriage to Lisa McPartlin.
‘Ant asks for privacy at this difficult time, for both himself, Lisa and their immediate families. No further statement will be made.’
MORE: Declan Donnelly upstages Kylie Minogue donning iconic gold hot pants on Saturday Night Takeaway
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