Now Playing

Ant McPartlin opens up about rehab admitting he thought his 'career was over'

11 November 2019, 10:41

By Naomi Bartram

Ant McPartlin opened up about his struggles with alcohol and prescription medication during his documentary.

Geordie presenting duo Ant and Dec were back with a brand new show ‘DNA Journey’ last night.

The documentary saw the boys take a look back at their history to find out where their ancestors came from.

But as well as being full of lighthearted and funny moments, one particularly poignant scene saw Ant, 43, open up about his alcohol and prescription medication addictions.

The presenter checked into rehab back in 2017 and was also fined £86,000 for drink driving after he was involved in a car crash collision in south London.

Ant said he thought his career was over. Picture: ITV

Speaking out about how it impacted his career, Ant said: "I thought the public had had enough.

"I didn't think I'd be allowed to do what I love anymore.

"But coming back and being on screen and love and support shown to us in overwhelming.

"I can't thank people enough."

Dec, 43, also admitted it’s been “a tough couple of years”, revealing he was angered by his best friend’s actions.

“It's really tested the bond that we've shared since we were like 13 years old,” he said.

View this post on Instagram

As seen on TV! 📸 Our #DNAjourney comes to a close tomorrow, and there are more huge surprises in store 🤯🤯 9pm @itv

A post shared by Ant & Dec (@antanddec) on Nov 10, 2019 at 2:31pm PST

"I was incredibly angry at the start. So angry. Disappointed in him that he didn't ever come to me and say, 'I'm struggling, I need you.'

"I thought that if the shoe was on the other foot I would have gone to him and said, 'I'm in trouble and I can't handle this, I need your help.'

"He never came to me - and that hurt me a lot."

But praising Dec for supporting him during his struggles, Ant later added: "Dec's been fantastic, he's a very kind man who's been supportive of me, and our friendship has been tested and it's come out through the other end and I'll be forever grateful for the love we have.

"I thought the public had had enough, I didn't think I'd be allowed to do what I love anymore, but coming back and being back on-screen and the love and support shown is overwhelming… I can't thank people enough."

After getting their friendship back on track, Ant and Dec are now stronger than ever and are currently preparing for their presenting stint on I’m A Celebrity later this month.