Holly Willoughby has been confirmed as the replacement for Ant McPartlin on the upcoming series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!.
The move makes sense, with Willoughby’s experience with live television on This Morning, relationship with ITV and easygoing style all likely contributing to the casting.
She said: “I couldn’t be more excited to have been asked to stand alongside Dec for the next jungle adventure. I love Ant and want to send him my best wishes and support for the continued recovery. These are big shoes, not to fill, but just to keep warm for a little bit.
“Honestly, I’m a fan of I’m a Celebrity and actually feel like I’ve won a competition to go and hang out on my favourite show. When is it a good time to tell Dec I’m scared of everything moves?”
We don’t know about you, but this news calms a lot of our nerves around this year’s series. The chemistry between the hosts is more important than it is for arguably any other reality show, and we’re sure Willoughby will be a great stand-in while Ant gets well.
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24/08/2018: ITV’s head of programmes Kevin Lygo announced this week that Ant McPartlin, currently on leave from ITV, will be succeeded in his role as co-host of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!.
McPartlin, who was arrested in March for a drunk-driving offence, announced earlier this month that he will be taking a full leave of absence from presenting until 2019 after being put on leave by ITV after his arrest.
I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! returns each year with Ant and Dec at the helm and Ant being replaced represents the first break in their 15 year relationship.
Lygo announced the news at the Edinburgh TV Festival and said ITV is hoping to “find someone to stand next to Dec”, who will continue presenting duties for I’m a Celebrity… while production has halted on Saturday Night Takeaway.
However, it’s good news for McPartlin as Kevin Lygo confirms he’s on the mend, saying “… he’s doing really well. He’s doing everything he should be doing to get better. We collectively all thought, let’s give him a good amount of time off. This is a slow procedure, that’s what we’ve decided to do.”
The Sun are now reporting that This Morning host Holly Willoughby is the front-runner to replace McPartlin and ITV’s top choice for the role. Rumoured replacements like Caroline Flack and Davina McCall are seemingly out of the running.
We’ll keep you updated on this story as it progresses.