Piers Morgan has revealed Ant McPartlin is ‘one of the good guys’ in a ‘nasty’ entertainment industry, following his recent drink-driving arrest.
Speaking in his column for Event magazine, the Good Morning Britain host, 53, claimed Ant is ‘going through a crisis in life’, after he was charged a record-breaking £86,000 last month for being twice over the legal limit behind the wheel.
However, while he says its ‘awful’ to see his friend in such turmoil, Piers affirmed he feels no sympathy for the presenter – and hopes he is given the right help and enough time to overcome his battle with alcohol.
Tough time: Piers Morgan has revealed Ant McPartlin is ‘one of the good guys’ in a ‘nasty’ industry, following his recent drink-driving arrest (Ant pictured at court earlier this month)
Weighing in: The Good Morning Britain host, 53, admitted while he feels no sympathy for Ant, he knows the presenter is ‘going through a crisis’ and hopes he is given the time to recover
In his column Piers said he does not think Ant, 42, would want sympathy for his ‘turbulent’ time, but hopes he gets the help he needs as one of the most genuine people in the television industry.
He said: ‘I don’t feel any sympathy for him over what happened, and nor, knowing him as well, do I think he’d want or expect any.
‘But it’s awful to see a good mate going through such a turbulent period in his life.’
Despite not knowing Ant well, Piers added that he was a joy to work with on Britain’s Got Talent back in 2007, and deserves the right ‘time and help’ to get back to himself.
Friendly: Piers said he and Ant formed a friendship on Britain’s Got Talent in 2007 (above), stating: ‘I can attest that Ant is one of the good guys in a business full of nasty pieces of work’
He continued: ‘I’m not one of his closest friends by any means, but we worked together for four years on Britain’s Got Talent and enjoyed many a pint and laugh together after long audition days.
‘As a result, I can attest that Ant McPartlin is one of the good guys in a business full of nasty pieces of work.
‘But he’s clearly going through a crisis in his life and needs proper time and help to sort himself out.’
Guilty: Ant, 42, was found guilty of drink-driving in court earlier this month (above) – and received an £86,000 fine and one-year driving ban, before he checked into rehab
Ant, 42, was found guilty of drink-driving in court earlier this month, after failing the breath test at the scene of the three-car collision in Richmond back in March.
He was fined a whopping £86,000 – the largest drink-drive fine to date – and banned from the road for one year, before he immediately checked into a private clinic to overcome his demons.
The presenter was spotted for the first time since his month-long rehab stint over the weekend, and cut a much healthier and happier figure on Sunday when he took his chocolate Labrador Hurley for a walk in his local park.
Ant has put all of his working commitments on hold while he recovers – leaving famous sidekick Declan Donnelly to front the likes of Saturday Night Takeaway and BGT alone.
Flying solo: Ant has put all of his working commitments on hold while he recovers- leaving famous sidekick Declan Donnelly (R) to front the likes of Saturday Night Takeaway alone