Fans excited as Ant McPartlin returns to social media
The latest tweet on their joint account came from Ant
Author: Laura ThorntonPublished 29th Dec 2018 Last updated 29th Dec 2018
43-year-old Ant McPartlin has been mostly absent from social media in 2018 after he took time out of being on TV and in the public eye to try and focus on his recovery after his drink-drive arrest back in March.
Ant and Dec share a Twitter account but sign-off on their tweets with both names or one of their initials to indicate who the tweet has come from, and eagle-eyed fans realised the latest tweet was signed with an 'A' ahead of Ant's return to Britain's Got Talent. The tweet read, 'exciting show alert Tonight ITV 9pm. Re-Play 2018 with Richard Osman. Play along and see if you’ve been paying attention to 2018. Enjoy!'.
Although the tweet was about the show Re-Play, many fans took to Twitter to tell Ant that they had missed him. StephanieVazq wrote 'Miss you Ant, can't wait to see you back😍' whilst rebeccaboo39 tweeted, 'Miss you Ant ❤️'
Anna McDonnelly 💜 👬wrote, 'Don’t care about the show, just love that Ant tweeted'.
Ant is preparing to return to TV screens for the 2019 series of Britain's Got Talent. It's also expected that he will return to I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here even after Holly Willoughby's successful stint stepping in for him. Holly has confirmed that she would NOT be returning to the jungle. "It was a one-off, once in a lifetime adventure," she confirmed. "Next year, I’ll be at home with everyone else having a glass of wine watching it."
GALLERY: Ant and Dec career timeline
Swipe through to see Ant and Dec's career timeline...
Fans excited as Ant McPartlin returns to social media
2 of 16
Ant and Dec's National Television Awards record: 2019
Among their numerous gongs, Ant & Dec have received the National Television Award for Best Presenter for 18 years running. They were also awarded a Guinness World Record for the most wins of the award in January 2019.
Swipe through to see Ant and Dec's career timeline...
Ant & Dec in Byker Grove: 1989
In 1989, Dec landed a part on BBC children's drama Byker Grove, playing Duncan. A year later Ant was cast as PJ – and thus, PJ and Duncan was born.
Ant & Dec's friendship blossomed: 1990
Ant previously revealed his friendship with Dec started in 1990, when he sent him a Christmas card and invited him to a football match.
He said, "And that was that. It just happened immediately. We clicked. We'd spend all day making each other laugh and annoying everyone and quoting Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer lines to each other."
When their parts were written out of Byker Grove, the boys vowed to stick together. Dec told Weekend magazine, "We made a pact. We said to each other, 'Look, whatever happens, I'll always be there for you and you're never in this life on your own or against the world – you've always got a mate looking out for you."
Dec said, "It's our choice to socialise outside work. And we both get to go to work with our best mate every day. And that keeps our feet on the ground" as Ant added, "We love each other, definitely."
Ant and Dec's children's TV shows: 1994
Another career change for the boys came in 1994, when they began as co-presenters of children's show Gimme 5 on CITV. Just a year later they landed their own programme, The Ant & Dec Show, this time on CBBC.
Ant and Dec's pop career: 1994
It wasn't just acting for the boys: PJ & Duncan were pop stars for a while, and became best known for their 1994 UK top 10 'Let's Get Ready to Rhumble'. After the pair performed it on Saturday Night Takeaway, the song went to Number 1 in March 2013.
Their last studio album, The Cult of Ant and Dec, was released in 1997, managing to chart at number 15.
Ant and Dec on SMTV: 1998
This kicked off their kids' TV careers, and landed them their first BAFTA Awards.
After various other presenting gigs, Ant & Dec started hosting ITV's Saturday morning shows SMTV and CD:UK, alongside Cat Deeley, in 1998.
Ant and Dec on Pop Idol: 2001
But, in 2001, they made the move from Saturday morning to prime time – for a little show called Pop Idol... They presented Pop Idol for two years, before it replaced with The X Factor and Kate Thornton took over.
Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway: 2002
This gave them the opportunity to create and present Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, which is on hiatus until 2020 after Ant McPartlin decided to take a step back from presenting.
Ant and Dec on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!: 2002
In 2002, a year after Saturday Night Takeaway's debut, the boys joined I'm a Celebrity and have become huge parts of the show. In 2018, Ant decided not to host the show, and This Morning's Holly Willoughby stepped in to present with Dec.
Ant and Dec in Love Actually: 2003
Ant and Dec had become such huge names in the UK in 2003, that director Richard Curtis invited them to have cameos in Love Actually, where they cautiously interview Bill Nighy's character, Billy Mack who hilariously calls Dec 'Ant or Dec'.
Ant and Dec on Britain's Got Talent: 2006
Establishing themselves as the busiest presenters in the country, Ant & Dec signed up for Britain's Got Talent in 2006 – and a year later signed a two-year golden handcuffs deal with ITV, which was thought to be worth £40 million and have been hosting the show ever since.
Ant marries Lisa Armstrong: 2006
Ant married his long-term girlfriend Lisa Armstrong in 2006, with Dec acting as best man. Sadly, the marriage ended in 2018 after Ant's addiction struggles.
Dec marries Ali Astall: 2015
In 2015, Dec married his longtime manager Ali Astall with Ant acting as best man - of course. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Isla in September 2018.
Ant and Dec awarded OBEs: 2017
Ant and Dec were awarded OBEs in the 2017 Queen's honours for services to broadcasting and entertainment at Buckingham Palace. They said, "We're humbled and honoured and ecstatic about the whole thing. We hope it can inspire young people from backgrounds like ours that things like this do happen to us sometimes. Put your head down and work hard and you can achieve what you want. You can end up in Buckingham Palace."
Ant's addiction struggles: 2017
In 2015, Ant was prescribed painkillers for botched surgery on his knee. Over the next two years, he became dependent on the drugs and on alcohol. In 2017, he entered rehab to deal with his addictions, and returned to work in the November.
However, in March 2018, he was involved in a three-car road collision which involved a young family. He was arrested on suspicion of drink driving, and pleaded guilty in court in April. He was fined £86,000 and banned from driving for 20 months, and stepped down from his TV duties in August 2018, returning in January 2019.
Ant and Dec's National Television Awards record: 2019
Among their numerous gongs, Ant & Dec have received the National Television Award for Best Presenter for 18 years running. They were also awarded a Guinness World Record for the most wins of the award in January 2019.
Swipe through to see Ant and Dec's career timeline...
Ant & Dec in Byker Grove: 1989
In 1989, Dec landed a part on BBC children's drama Byker Grove, playing Duncan. A year later Ant was cast as PJ – and thus, PJ and Duncan was born.
Ant & Dec's friendship blossomed: 1990
Ant previously revealed his friendship with Dec started in 1990, when he sent him a Christmas card and invited him to a football match.
He said, "And that was that. It just happened immediately. We clicked. We'd spend all day making each other laugh and annoying everyone and quoting Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer lines to each other."
When their parts were written out of Byker Grove, the boys vowed to stick together. Dec told Weekend magazine, "We made a pact. We said to each other, 'Look, whatever happens, I'll always be there for you and you're never in this life on your own or against the world – you've always got a mate looking out for you."
Dec said, "It's our choice to socialise outside work. And we both get to go to work with our best mate every day. And that keeps our feet on the ground" as Ant added, "We love each other, definitely."
Ant and Dec's children's TV shows: 1994
Another career change for the boys came in 1994, when they began as co-presenters of children's show Gimme 5 on CITV. Just a year later they landed their own programme, The Ant & Dec Show, this time on CBBC.
Ant and Dec's pop career: 1994
It wasn't just acting for the boys: PJ & Duncan were pop stars for a while, and became best known for their 1994 UK top 10 'Let's Get Ready to Rhumble'. After the pair performed it on Saturday Night Takeaway, the song went to Number 1 in March 2013.
Their last studio album, The Cult of Ant and Dec, was released in 1997, managing to chart at number 15.
Ant and Dec on SMTV: 1998
This kicked off their kids' TV careers, and landed them their first BAFTA Awards.
After various other presenting gigs, Ant & Dec started hosting ITV's Saturday morning shows SMTV and CD:UK, alongside Cat Deeley, in 1998.
Ant and Dec on Pop Idol: 2001
But, in 2001, they made the move from Saturday morning to prime time – for a little show called Pop Idol... They presented Pop Idol for two years, before it replaced with The X Factor and Kate Thornton took over.
Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway: 2002
This gave them the opportunity to create and present Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, which is on hiatus until 2020 after Ant McPartlin decided to take a step back from presenting.
Ant and Dec on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!: 2002
In 2002, a year after Saturday Night Takeaway's debut, the boys joined I'm a Celebrity and have become huge parts of the show. In 2018, Ant decided not to host the show, and This Morning's Holly Willoughby stepped in to present with Dec.
Ant and Dec in Love Actually: 2003
Ant and Dec had become such huge names in the UK in 2003, that director Richard Curtis invited them to have cameos in Love Actually, where they cautiously interview Bill Nighy's character, Billy Mack who hilariously calls Dec 'Ant or Dec'.
Ant and Dec on Britain's Got Talent: 2006
Establishing themselves as the busiest presenters in the country, Ant & Dec signed up for Britain's Got Talent in 2006 – and a year later signed a two-year golden handcuffs deal with ITV, which was thought to be worth £40 million and have been hosting the show ever since.
Ant marries Lisa Armstrong: 2006
Ant married his long-term girlfriend Lisa Armstrong in 2006, with Dec acting as best man. Sadly, the marriage ended in 2018 after Ant's addiction struggles.
Dec marries Ali Astall: 2015
In 2015, Dec married his longtime manager Ali Astall with Ant acting as best man - of course. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Isla in September 2018.
Ant and Dec awarded OBEs: 2017
Ant and Dec were awarded OBEs in the 2017 Queen's honours for services to broadcasting and entertainment at Buckingham Palace. They said, "We're humbled and honoured and ecstatic about the whole thing. We hope it can inspire young people from backgrounds like ours that things like this do happen to us sometimes. Put your head down and work hard and you can achieve what you want. You can end up in Buckingham Palace."
Ant's addiction struggles: 2017
In 2015, Ant was prescribed painkillers for botched surgery on his knee. Over the next two years, he became dependent on the drugs and on alcohol. In 2017, he entered rehab to deal with his addictions, and returned to work in the November.
However, in March 2018, he was involved in a three-car road collision which involved a young family. He was arrested on suspicion of drink driving, and pleaded guilty in court in April. He was fined £86,000 and banned from driving for 20 months, and stepped down from his TV duties in August 2018, returning in January 2019.
Ant and Dec's National Television Awards record: 2019
Among their numerous gongs, Ant & Dec have received the National Television Award for Best Presenter for 18 years running. They were also awarded a Guinness World Record for the most wins of the award in January 2019.
Listen to Greatest Hits Radio on the free Rayo app, online or on your DAB digital radio. You can also listen on your smart speaker by saying “Play Greatest Hits Radio”.
