OHMYGOSSIP — Ant McPartlin will host ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here’ following his recovery from drug addiction.
The popular host recently completed a stint in rehab after he became hooked on prescription drugs and hit the bottle and, though there was doubt whether he’d recover in time, it’s now been confirmed he will head back to work on the ITV show in Australia alongside Declan Donnelly over the winter months.
ITV boss Kevin Lygo said at the Edinburgh International TV Festival: “Ant is doing really well and we are expecting him to return for ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’.”
The channel has supported Ant throughout his recovery and offered him a sabbatical when he went public with his demons.
And Kevin admitted they’d do almost anything to keep big shows like ‘I’m A Celebrity…’ “fresh and good” because they are of huge importance to the channel and its audiences.
He said: “We don’t often talk about shows that have been on for a long time but they are vitally important to ITV and we have to put a lot resource and effort and energy into keeping these shows fresh and good. There have been no new entertainment shows in last 10 years that have taken the world by storm.”
Ant, 41, is doing everything he can to get back to full health and has even moved his mother Christine into his London home, because his wife Lisa, 40, has returned to work as a make-up artist on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
Ant previously said his mother was “happy” he had returned to his old self when speaking about her thoughts on his prescription pills addiction and rehab stint.
He said: “She’s happy to have me back.
“People do notice the difference in you when you’re down and depressed.
“She noticed it. She said she’s really happy to have her old son back, which is nice to hear.”