He has suffered a tough year yet has come out on top with a triumphant return to work on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here.
And while Ant McPartlin was ringing in his comeback atop his 42nd birthday on Saturday, he seemed slightly tense as he appeared engrossed in an animated chat with best pal Declan Donnelly while boarding a helicopter.
While surrounded by stars of the show, including Georgia Toffolo, Amir Khan and Vanessa White, the embattled star was deep in conversation with his sidekick, just hours after celebrating his birthday with a cake.
Ringing it in: Ant McPartlin was ringing in his comeback atop his 42nd birthday on Saturday, he seemed slightly tense as he appeared engrossed in an animated chat with best pal Declan Donnelly while boarding a helicopter
Ant, has proudly been displaying his wedding ring in the outback amid speculation about his marriage to wife Lisa Armstrong, and looked back to his best in the show’s promotional snaps as he made his triumphant return to screens following his break.
He had sought treatment at a rehab clinic, after revealing his battle to overcome his addiction to painkillers following a knee injury. After successfully completing his rehab stint, Ant found himself hit by claims his marriage is ‘on the rocks’.
As he throws himself into work, Ant was looking happy and healthy although during one chat he appeared extremely animated while talking to Dec.
Ant was ready to celebrate his 42nd birthday in style as he joined his colleagues and I’m A Celebrity co-host Dec in the Australian outback on Saturday.
Taking to their joint Twitter account to reveal how he was spending the day, the Geordie presenter wrote: ‘G’day! Thank you for all my Aussie birthday best wishes. You lot are Bonza! A’.
Contorted: While surrounded by stars of the show, including Georgia Toffolo, Amir Khan and Vanessa White, the embattled star was deep in conversation with his sidekick, just hours after celebrating his birthday with a cake
Birthday boy: Ant was ready to celebrate his 42nd birthday in style as he joined his colleagues and I’m A Celebrity co-host Dec in the Australian outback on Saturday
Kind words: Taking to their joint Twitter account to reveal how he was spending the day, the Geordie presenter thanked his fans for all their sweet messages
He also shared a picture of the birthday cake that had been given to him by the crew which bore a sweet picture of his pet dog.
Despite it being the star’s birthday, there will have been no celebrating into the early hours as he has to wake up early for the presenting gig.
An insider told MailOnline: ‘They are in bed by 5pm, so there’s no partying. They have to be up at 2am for work. A little golf in the afternoon is sometimes on the cards but they mostly chill in their apartment and by the pool…
‘It’s Ant’s birthday but he is going to be working. It’s the first day for the celebs; they meet each other for the first time in the morning.’
Loving life: Ant seemed in great spirits as he celebrated his 42nd birthday in style
Yum: Ant also shared a picture of the birthday cake that had been given to him by the crew which bore a sweet picture of his pet dog
A source added to Mirror Online: ‘Ant was saying how great it was to be back in Australia and working on the show.
‘It seemed like it could have been any other year, having his best friend by his side must have really helped him get straight back into the groove.
‘It is likely to be a quiet drink and dinner, no major party that is for sure. They could even end up settling for a Saturday Night Takeaway if filming overruns.’
Reunited: As he touched down in Australia, Ant revealed he was bursting with excitement to be back on the small screen. The embattled star admitted he was ‘feeling great’ after reuniting with Dec
On the up: Determined to put on a ‘good show’, the television host revealed he had bounced back following his stint in rehab to battle his alcohol and drug addiction
Back to his best: Ant has proudly been displaying his wedding ring in the outback amid speculation about his marriage to wife Lisa Armstrong, and looks back to his best
As he touched down in Australia, Ant revealed he was bursting with excitement to be back on the small screen. The embattled star admitted he was ‘feeling great’ after reuniting with Dec.
Determined to put on a ‘good show’, the television host revealed he had bounced back following his stint in rehab to battle his alcohol and drug addiction.
He told The Sun: ‘I’m excited to be back, I can’t wait. It’s going to be a good show. I’m feeling great. The flight was all right, I had a lot of sleep and me and Dec had a good catch-up.’
Sharing his excitement at being back with his BFF Ant, Dec said: ‘It’s brilliant to be back together – it’s perfect. Everything slots back into place. We can’t wait and we are raring to go.’
In June, Ant had confirmed he planned to battle his demons- after admitting he had spiralled into depression and substance abuse following a painful knee injury and fertility issues.
Ready for action: The celebrities set to join the jungle were also posing for snaps ahead of their entry to the jungle – including (L-R) Jamie Lomas, Georgia Toffolo, Rebekah Vardy, Vanessa White and Stanley Johnson
Ant revealed his plans to check in to rehab for alcohol and drug addiction, when he gave a candid interview to The Sun admitting he had ‘let people down’, before thanking his wife Lisa and co-star Declan for the support they had provided.
While he hasn’t been joined by wife Lisa out in Oz, due to her working commitments on Strictly Come Dancing as a make-up artist, she made sure to hit back at the speculation, breaking her silence on the duo’s rumoured ‘marriage woes’.
Lisa had hit back at the long-running reports that the duo have separated by taking to Twitter, as she penned on the microblogging site: ‘I’m not estranged, thank you’.
Her defiant message also touched on her absence in Australia, as she added the hashtags: ‘#haventbeentoOzfor10years #ihaveajob #allaloadofmadeups**t #imnotestrangedthank-you #asyouwere’.
The celebrities set to join the jungle were also posing for snaps ahead of their entry to the jungle – including Georgia Toffolo, Amir Khan and Rebekah Vardy.
Off we go! (L-R) Dennis Wise, Shappi Khorsandi, Amir Khan, Jennie McAlpine and Jack Maynard will also appear in the jungle as this year’s crop of stars