On Air Now
Heart Breakfast with JK and Amanda Holden 6:30am - 10am
Ant McPartlin rejoins best pal Dec Donnelly on I’m a Celeb after drink-drive shame
18 July 2019, 11:03
The Geordie presenter heads down under to film a cheeky jungle promo with co-host Dec, confirming his much-anticipated return to the show
Ant McPartlin will be jetting off to the jungle later this year to present I'm a Celebrity as reports claim the star has already filmed the TV promo for the upcoming series.
Re-joining best friend and TV partner Dec Donnelly as co-host in Australia, the 43-year-old is set to present this year's reality series after taking a break from work due to his drink-driving conviction.
Ant, who has been battling alcohol and prescription drug addictions, has allegedly filmed a teaser clip called Two Men and a Boat for the 2019 show, which sees the best buds battle snow, ice and blistering heat on their tricky journey to Oz.
Insiders say the poignant promo, which was filmed at a studio in West London, will set the perfect tone for the cheeky Geordie's return.
A TV source explained: “The storyline for the promo is really funny.
“The boys are in a boat which has got lost on the way to Oz, it ends up going through all sorts of different continents and they get bombarded by bad weather, snow, rain, blistering sunshine and everything in between – before finally make their way to Australia in time to host the show.
“It’s a big and very expensive set-up with masses of special effects, but they wanted it to be right — especially for Ant’s return."
The small-screen legend, who took most of 2018 off to deal with his demons in rehab, will replace his stand-in Holly Willoughby, who took over from Ant while he was away.
And despite the This Morning presenter being a huge hit with loyal viewers, insiders say the recovering star will always play an integral part in the show's success.
The source continued: “Holly was a fantastic stand-in and Dec enjoyed having her with him in Australia very much, but she always said it was a one-off.
“Ant is a huge part of the success of the series so everyone on the team was looking forward to working with him again.”
The adverts are expected to be aired later this year as the first round of rumoured contestants could be revealed.
I'm A Celebrity 2019 will hit screens in late November 2019.
