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Ant McPartlin breaks Twitter silence to share birthday message to best pal Dec

The star has recently left rehab following his battle with alcohol and prescription drugs

Geordie favourite Ant McPartlin has broken his Twitter silence to share a birthday message to best pal Declan Donnelly, who celebrated his 42nd birthday on Monday.

Ant, 41, recently left rehab after seeking help for an alcohol, drug and prescription medication addiction.

He seems to be back on the mend and will soon be returning to our screens for this year’s series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here.

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The much-loved presenter wrote: “Happy birthday to the little fella from the ever so slightly taller fella!!xxxx #bigdonsbday.”

Fans rushed to reply to his tweet with most mainly asking him how he’s feeling.

One said: “So proud of you Ant, hope you are doing okay, can’t wait for IAC.”

“Ant you’re back! So happy,” another tweeted.

A third replied: “I am so happy you are back on Twitter Ant and that you got the help you needed.”

Back in June Ant checked himself into rehab after telling wife Lisa Armstrong and Dec that he needed help.

The star became addicted to prescription painkillers after a surgery he had on his knee.

Ant said in a statement at the time: “The first step is to admit to yourself you need help.

“I feel like I have let a lot of people down and for that I am truly sorry.

“I want to thank my wife, family and closest friends for helping me through this really difficult time.

“I’ve spoken out because I think it’s important that people ask for help if they’re going through a rough time and get the proper treatment to help their recovery.”

Ant gained the support from fans of course but also from bosses at ITV.

In a statement an ITV source said in June: “The feeling amongst senior executives is that Ant has been very brave to admit this.

“He’s got our total backing and he knows he can take as much time as he needs.”

Despite the incredible support from the nation it seems his addiction battle has taken its toll on his wife Lisa.

Earlier this month an insider revealed to the The Daily Star that Lisa hasn’t been seen much with her husband since he left the rehabilitation centre.

The source said: “She’s had a rough year. And she’s made it clear it’s because of Ant.

“They’ve hardly been seen in public together since he came back from rehab a month ago.”

Lisa is a make-up artist on Strictly Come Dancing and she has been keeping herself busy during this tough time.

The source added: “Lisa has really thrown herself into work at Strictly. She’s having lots of banter with the stars. But Ant isn’t mentioned much.”

In his first interview after coming out of rehab Ant told The Sun that his addiction put a strain on his marriage.

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He said: “I’ve put Lisa through hell with mood swings and depression and how it affects you.

“I’m very sorry about the effect it has on partners.

“This kind of stuff puts strains on any marriage.

“In hindsight, I should have mentioned it earlier but you’re embarrassed about it.”

He praised his wife for her efforts in being there for him as he said: “All I can say at the moment is that she’s been amazing — fantastic throughout.”


Rebecca Carter
Associate Editor (News)

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