Piers Morgan has said he “feels” for Declan Donnelly after Ant McPartlin announced he’s stepping down from current TV commitments.
Ant, 42, has also confirmed he’s returning to treatment after being arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and released under investigation following a car collision in London on Sunday.
This weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Takeaway has now been pulled from the schedule, while ITV has said it’s “reviewing options” for the final two episodes of the series.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Piers said: “I tell you who I feel for: Dec.
“He is, by default now… his career definitely reaches the buffer because they are a double act.
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“The big question for Dec will be, they say Takeaway is off this Saturday, but they want to try to do the last two Saturdays after that. If you’re Dec, what do you do?
“Do you agree to do it on your own, which is Morecambe without Wise, or do you do it with someone else?
“Again, could you imagine Morecambe and Wise doing it with a third party?
“What do you do? It’s an incredibly difficult moment for him.”
Piers went on to give his thoughts on whether Dec will decide to continue hosting on Saturday Night Takeaway without Ant – Dec has yet to confirm his actual plans.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t do it,” said Piers.
“And it’s interesting with Britain’s Got Talent. On that show they film the auditions [earlier] so they’re all in the can and they can’t go back into that. And then they have the live shows coming up, which, I think, are normally for a week.
“Does Dec do it on his own? It’s only in a few weeks’ time. I can’t imagine Ant is going to be doing it. So does Dec do that on his own? Does he do it with someone like Stephen Mulhern, who is a good friend and does Britain’s Got More Talent?
“In the television world this is an earthquake. You’re talking the biggest stars in television.”
It has not been confirmed yet whether Ant will take part in any further Britain’s Got Talent filming.
The ITV programme has already pre-recorded the audition stages, which will air when the show kicks off around April. Then there are live shows ahead of the winner being crowned.
A statement released by Ant’s spokesperson on Monday afternoon confirmed the star is stepping down from “current TV commitments” for the “foreseeable future”.
It read: “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.”
Ant voluntarily entered rehab last year after struggling with an addiction to prescription painkillers following a knee operation in 2015.
In a separate statement, ITV confirmed: “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.”
Ant & Dec are arguably the UK’s most well-known and popular TV presenters.
In January, they won the Best Presenter prize for the 17th year in a row at the National Television Awards.
As well as co-hosting Saturday Night Takeaway and Britain’s Got Talent, they present I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! later in the year.
It has not been confirmed when Ant may return to TV or what Dec will do in his absence.
Ant was involved in a collision with two other cars while he was driving his Mini in Richmond, West London on Sunday, and was arrested at around 4pm after failing a roadside breathalyser test.
A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said that he was “taken to a south London police station for questioning and has since been released under investigation.”
Inquiries continue, added the spokesperson.
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