The person who is reportedly going to fill in for Ant McPartlin on on Britain’s Got Talent
once his first child is born has been ‘revealed’. Anne-Marie The host, 48, is expecting his first baby with wife
Corbett, 46, in June this year.
But the couple’s happy news could cause problems for ITV bosses – as Anne-Marie might go into labor around the same time the competition’s live shows are set to air. Declan Donnelly, 48, stands to host alone if necessary.
According to The Sun, a potential top choice is This Morning host Cat Deeley, 48, who could step in for Ant if Anne-Marie were to go into labor.
Another contender being thought about is TV host and magician Stephen Mulhern, 46.
An insider said: ‘The timing is causing a bit of a problem for bosses.
‘They are considering whether Dec would want to present alone if Anne-Marie went into labor or, if there’s enough time, a guest presenter could step in. Cat and Stephen, who the lads have worked with in the past, are top choices.’
Cat became famous hosting children’s morning entertainment show SMTV Live with Ant and Dec from 1998-2001. After that, she went on to host Stars In Their Eyes, Fame Academy and guest appearances on This Morning.
This week she made her permanent debut as the new host of ITV’s This Morning alongside co-anchor Ben Shephard, 49.
After nearly a year of rotating guest anchors – including Alison Hammond, Dermot O’Leary and Cat herself – she and Ben were announced as replacement hosts for the departing Holly Willoughby and disgraced Phillip Schofield.
Meanwhile, Stephen regularly collaborates with the duo on their show, Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway – hosting his own part in the show’s Ant vs Dec skits.
Ant and Dec have been inseparable since their days playing PJ and Duncan on kids’ TV show Byker Grove in the 90s. Since then, they have rarely been absent from television – following up SMT Live with hosting duties on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, Britain’s Got Talent, and their Saturday Night Takeaway.
This week they declared that the current series of their variety show will be the last for a while, stating that the show ‘takes up such a lot of our year’ and that they needed ‘a little bit of a breather.’
The popular show, which has been airing since 2002, is currently on its 20th season.
Ant confessed in an interview last month that the show would be taking a break so that he and Dec can focus on their families.
'One of the reasons we're stopping Takeaway is because we need a break and we want to spend time with our family,' he said in Fault Magazine.
'We both have kids that we need to spend time with for a while,' he added – talking about his own soon-to-arrive child and Dec's two children with wife Ali Astall.
Ant and wife Anne-Marie met in 2017, as personal assistant to the star and his ex-wife, Lisa Armstrong. The pair later became close following the end of his marriage – dating for five years, before tying the knot in 2021.
Rumours of the pair’s pregnancy were confirmed in February, with Anne-Marie appearing out in public with an undeniable baby bump.
This will be the pair’s first child together although she does have two teenage daughters from a previous marriage who are reportedly close to the Ant.
'He will make a good dad. He’s good with the girls so he’ll be great,' Anne-Marie’s step-father, David Woodhall, told The Sun as he confirmed the happy news.
Metro.co.uk has approached ITV, Britain’s Got Talent, Ant McPartlin and Cat Deeley for comment.
