Declan Donnelly shares support for Ant as he checks into rehab

Dec opened up about Ant's substance abuse on Twitter

Ant and Dec

by Georgia Aspinall |
Published on

With Ant McPartlin opening up about his struggle with substance abuse yesterday, everyone has been wondering how Declan Donnelly feels about the situation.

Ant is set to spend six weeks in rehab to manage problems with "substance abuse, prescription drugs and drinking" and Dec has showed his support for his long time best friend on Twitter.

He said: "Thank you for all the kind messages and well wishes for the big fella. He will be touched. Your support is, as ever, much appreciated. DD xx"

While Dec was aware of Ant's struggles, he reportedly didn't realise the full extent of his substance abuse. A source told The Sun: "For Dec it was a bit of a bombshell hearing about these addiction problems. He had no idea of the full extent of the torment his best friend was going through."

The duo have worked together for over 25 years, from Byker Grove to Britains Got Talent!, and have become national treasures in the process.

But Ant has apparently been struggling with depression and chronic knee pain for years, which led to a substance abuse problem where he was addicted to both alcohol and prescription painkillers.

Ant's wife, Lisa Armstrong, has also shared her support for her husband on Twitter. She said: "Completely overwhelmed by all your love & support it means so much. I'm relieved he's receiving the help he needs, we just need him better."

Ant has been praised by his celebrity friends online for opening up about his mental health issues and seeking help.

Following a second knee operation this week, which has left him wheelchair bound for six weeks, he will be in rehab for at least the next two months.

We wish him and his family the best at this horrible time, and hopefully a speedy recovery.

UPDATE

It has been reported that ITV will fully stand behind Ant during his rehab stint and have allegedly offered him a 12 month sabbatical if he needs it.

A source told the Mail Online: "It is all still too early to say for sure what will happen, but all anyone wants is for Ant to get well again.

"He and Dec are the backbone of the ITV family and Ant has the network's complete and utter support.

"Formally, Ant has no work commitments until November and obviously the hope is that he will be completely better by then, and able to fulfil them. But ITV will not rush him in any way, and the feeling is he must take as long as he needs."

They then added: "If he wants a 12 month sabbatical, frankly he deserves it. The sense is though that both Ant and Dec love working, and Ant will want to get back down to work before the end of the year."

We hope he takes all the time he needs to recover!

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