Ant McPartlin 'likely to host I'm A Celebrity', TV boss tells Edinburgh International TV Festival

Ant McPartlin is expected to be host I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here this year, the ITV's director of television has said.

The TV star recently revealed he nearly died as he battled depression, alcohol and substance abuse.

McPartlin - one half of much-loved duo Ant and Dec - entered rehab in June after struggling with a two-year addiction to super-strength painkillers following a knee operation in 2015.

The revelation cast doubt over whether he would be able to travel to Australia to host the reality show, but ITV boss Kevin Lygo told the Edinburgh International TV Festival: Ant is doing really well and we are expecting him to return for I'm a Celebrity.''

He added that sustaining the channel's biggest hits, including I'm A Celebrity, The X Factor and The Voice, as well as the soaps and daytime offerings, were crucial to its future.

He said: We don't often talk about shows that have been on for a long time but they are vitally important to ITV and we have to put a lot resource and effort and energy into keeping these shows fresh and good.''

He continued: There have been no new entertainment shows in last 10 years that have taken the world by storm.''

Lygo also addressed the huge success of Love Island on ITV2 over the summer, saying the ratings surge the channel saw have not tempted him to move the show to ITV1.

He said: You would get a higher rating but you would lose some of the cache and cool and lose some of the young viewers.

It was very similar to Big Brother when it was on Channel 4.

Love Island was a phenomenon. They are so rare, these big hits for young people.'