no ant, no dec?
Declan Donnelly is ‘stressed’ over whether to go on TV without Ant after pal’s drink-drive arrest
DECLAN Donnelly has been seen for the first time since Ant's "drink-drive" car crash - as it emerged he's "stressed" about whether to return to TV without his best pal.
The Sun revealed how the 42-year-old presenter was left "devastated" after his presenting partner entered rehab again following an arrest on Sunday in Richmond, South West London.
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With Ant in rehab for at least nine weeks, Dec is faced with the tricky decision over whether to carry on without Ant for the first time.
This weekend's instalment of Saturday Night Takeaway has been cancelled, but the remaining two episodes are being discussed by ITV bosses.
A source told : “Dec is stressed and it is a very difficult decision in terms of what he does next.
"They always said they would not work solo but now he has to think about not just their careers but hundreds of employees who work for them and ITV.
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“It feels like an impossible dilemma for him and he doesn’t know what is the right answer.”
But writing in their 2010 autobiography, Ooh! What A Lovely Pair, the duo insisted "neither one of us would ever be on our own out there".
Dec - who looked downcast as he was pictured out in Chiswick today with his wife Ali Astall - added: "We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have enjoyed such a remarkable time.
"Throughout it all, we’ve always had one constant that’s kept us sane – each other."
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"In two decades, we’ve never spent more than two weeks apart.
"Some people might not understand it but our friendship is a massive, massive part of where we are today."
Meanwhile, a source told The Daily Star that Dec has the support of "his wife Ali and the Saturday Night Takeaway team."
The pals, who met on the set of Byker Grove back in 1990, have spent their entire careers together. Ant wrote: "We made an agreement – whatever happened, we’d be mates forever, and neither one of us would ever be on our own out there. Sitting here today, that’s as true as it’s always been.
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"If it all ended tomorrow, we’d still speak every day, we’d still see each other all the time and we’d still be best mates.
"And that’s something we’re both very proud of."
But eight years on, the pair face one of their toughest tests to date, and Dec has to consider the prospect of recording the last two episodes of Takeaway - including the grand finale in Florida - alone or with a guest co-host.
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A source said: “Understandably Dec looked as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“He’s got some huge decisions to make in the coming days, and all eyes are going to be on him in terms of deciding what’s going to happen next.
“With Ant out of the picture, he will be making all the crucial decisions which in the past they always made together.
“It’s obviously a very testing time for him and for Ali, who has always been incredibly close to Ant too as their manager and as a friend.”
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A statement from Ant's agent, which was released on Twitter, said: “Ant has decided to go back into treatment and step down from his current TV commitments.
“He has spoken with Dec and ITV today and asked for time off for the foreseeable future.
“As such Saturday Night Takeaway will not be going ahead this Saturday.”
An ITV spokesperson added: “ITV has taken a joint decision with Ant and Dec’s team not to broadcast Saturday Night Takeaway this weekend.
“We will be reviewing options for the last two episodes of the series (March 31 and April 7) which would not feature Ant who is taking time off to seek treatment. We very much hope that he gets the help that he needs.”
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Dec looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders
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Witness Jake Spencer said Britain's Got Talent star Ant had rowed with officers as they tried to put him in a police car after he failed a breath test at the crash scene.
He added: “Ant looked in a right state and was acting argumentatively toward a policewoman. I couldn’t believe it when I saw who it was.”
Ant bravely opened up to The Sun about his first stint in treatment back in August last year.
In the emotional interview, Ant revealed how he hid a crippling drug addiction and battle with depression from his friends and family.
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His descent into prescription drug addiction came after he damaged his knee in 2014.
Thing got worse when he had a botched operation on it the following year.
Ant recovered and was given a hero's welcome by fans when he returned to host I'm A Celebrity: Get Me Out Of Here! last year.
But Sunday's setback has put his short-term career in turmoil.
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CCTV captures Ant McPartlin driving moments before car crash and arrest on suspicion of drink-driving
Fans have called for Scarlett Moffatt to stand in for Ant, while others have suggested their close friend and Takeaway co-star, Stephen Mulhern.
But neither decision will be an easy one for Dec to make, as he wrote in their autobiography: "Without a doubt, the best thing to come out of the last 20 years, the greatest thing we’ve ever achieved, our biggest success, has been our friendship.
"And nothing will ever, ever change that."
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