Following his decision to focus on his recovery, Ant McPartlin has now taken himself out of the annual I'm A Celebrity WhatsApp group this year. According to This Morning host Phillip Schofield, the TV presenter left their group – which also includes his partner-in-crime Holly Willoughby and Ant's right-hand man Declan Donnelly – in a bid to concentrate on his treatment at home. When asked about Ant and whether he has shared any views on this year's series, Phil told the Mirror: "I think Ant is concentrating on himself and so no we're all letting him get well."
Opening up about their group chat, he added: "Both Ant and Dec and myself have also got a WhatsApp group for when they were out there. It took Holly a day or two to settle in. I got the first WhatsApp from her on the group during a commercial break and thought 'That's it, she's comfortable.'"
MORE: What is Holly Willoughby's net worth?
The comments come shortly after it was revealed that the ITV production team have been consulting Ant over Dec and Holly's jokes on the live show. Emma Jessen, an ITV weather presenter, recently took to Twitter to post: "I am informed that Ant was consulted for scripted Holly & Dec links for @imacelebrity series 2018 #imacelebrity #imaceleb @Ant_McPartlin @antanddec… top move production team if this is the case, can see his hallmarks there."
Ant is taking a year-long break from television following his arrest for drink-driving in March, but gave Holly his blessing to take over his usual role on the hit ITV show before it began earlier in November. "All the very best of luck little fella and @hollywills for the show tonight. Lots of love from the big fella! A. I'm A Celeb. X," he wrote. However, he has since stayed quiet and hasn't shared any feedback on the show, which has been a ratings success with its new line-up.
READ: What is Dec's net worth and how much does he earn as a solo presenter?
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