Ant McPartlin ‘returns to work’ as Holly Willoughby speaks out on I’m A Celeb future

The boys are back in town!

Ant McPartlin & Holly Willoughby

by Emma Dodds |
Updated on

Viewers of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! may have been devastated by the news that Ant McPartlin wouldn't be flying to Australia to present this year's show alongside Declan Donnelly, but they soon perked up when This Morning's Holly Willoughby was announced as his temporary replacement.

The 37-year-old, who gave up her spot on the This Morning sofa alongside Phillip Schofield to present the show with Dec, was a huge hit with viewers - and many have called for her to have a permanent role on the show in the future.

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©Holly and Dec had a whale of a time in Australia © Shutterstock

However, after reuniting with her best pal and on-screen other half Phillip Schofield at the Dancing On Ice launch, 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."

This comes after a source told the Daily Star that show bosses were keen to keep her in some capacity, "She’s been such a success that producers are now keen to keep her whatever happens. Holly stepped up to the plate. The top people at ITV are now really keen to get her back next year."

Gallery

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Swipe through to see all the romances that have blossomed on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

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2004: Katie Price and Peter Andre

Whenever you think of I'm A Celebrity romances, Peter Andre and Katie Price's love affair is the one you think of. Although she had a boyfriend when she went into the jungle in the form of Scott Sullivan, their attraction was just too strong, and they married a year after leaving the jungle.

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Katie Price and Peter Andre: Divorced

Unfortunately, they split in 2009 after having two children together, Junior and Princess, but Katie maintains that Peter is the "love of her life." Peter is now married to doctor Emily MacDonagh and Katie has just separated from third husband Kieran Hayler.

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2007: Marc Bannerman and Cerys Matthews

Marc Bannerman, best known for playing Gianni di Marco on EastEnders, found love with rock star and broadcaster Cerys Matthews, most well known for being a founding member of Welsh band Catatonia.

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Marc Bannerman and Cerys Matthews: Split

The couple dated for four months after the show, but it was a rocky relationship as they split up before reuniting, and finally splitting up for good at the end of 2008.

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2011: Mark Wright and Emily Scott

TOWIE star Mark Wright was best known for his on-off relationship with co-star Lauren Goodger, but he hit it off with model Emily Scott who had previously been linked to David Walliams and Ritchie Neville from 5ive.

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Mark Wright

There's been barely any trace of Emily in the UK since her stint in the jungle, but Mark has done incredibly well for himself - having married Michelle Keegan in 2015 and landed a reporting job in the US.

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2012: Dec Donnelly and Ashley Roberts

Co-host Declan Donnelly was at the centre of a potential romance on the show in 2012 after viewers noticed his chemistry with Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, who went on to work with him and Ant McPartlin Saturday Night Takeaway.

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Dec Donnelly and Ashley Roberts

However, nothing official happened between the pair, and Dec went on to marry his manager, Ali Astall, and the couple welcomed daughter Isla in 2018.

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2013: Joey Essex and Amy Willerton

TOWIE's Joey Essex and model Amy Willerton set tongues wagging during their stint in the jungle after giving each other massages, with campmate Rebecca Adlington commenting on the situation, "I can't take the sexual tension anymore."

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Joey Essex and Amy Willerton

Although Joey and Amy dated very briefly after the show, it wasn't to be - Joey has recently been linked to Love Island 2018's Ellie Brown, and Amy was thought to be dating One Direction's Niall Horan before becoming 'engaged' to entrepreneur Daniel Day.

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2015: Ferne McCann and George Shelley

Every single viewer of I'm A Celebrity in 2015 noticed the chemistry between TOWIE star Ferne McCann and Union J singer George Shelley, with the pair's outrageous flirting a memorable part of that series.

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Ferne McCann and George Shelley: Split

The pair confirmed that they'd been on a few dates following their jungle stint - but after George came out as bisexual in 2016, Ferne confirmed that they were close friends, adding that she was "so proud" of him.

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2015: Spencer Matthews and Vicky Pattison

Ferne and George's wasn't the only romance from the 2015 series - Geordie Shore's Vicky Pattison also got it on with Made In Chelsea's resident lothario, Spencer Matthews, despite the fact that he was only in the jungle for three days.

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Spencer Matthews and Vicky Pattison

They dated for several months after the show, attending various events and red carpets together - but Spencer is now happily married to model Vogue Williams, with the pair welcoming son Theodore in 2018.

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2017: Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo and Jack Maynard

Spencer's fellow Made In Chelsea pal Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo was crowned Queen of the Jungle in 2017, striking up a friendship with Connor Maynard's YouTuber brother, Jack Maynard. Although Jack was removed from the show after a matter of days, it turns out that the pair stayed in touch...

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Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo and Jack Maynard

Although they've never confirmed it, Toff and Jack spend an awful lot of time together and post very leading photos on both their Instagram profiles which suggest that they're in a relationship. Hmm...

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2017: Georgia Toffolo and Stanley Johnson

And last but not least - we couldn't have a gallery of I'm A Celeb relationships without including Toff and Stanley's wonderful friendship!

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Georgia Toffolo and Stanley Johnson

Of course, we know they were never involved romantically - Toff is potentially dating Jack and Stanley has been happily married to his wife Jennifer Kidd since 1981. But look at 'em! N'aww.

But Ant has now reportedly returned to work, and was photographed in London yesterday wearing a suit, suggesting that he could be making his on-screen comeback for the next series of Britain's Got Talent. A source told The Sun, "He always planned to take the rest of 2018 off to fully recover.

"He didn’t want to commit to anything before he was absolutely ready but now he feels up to it again. He’s got his first production meetings this week where he will be talking about the plan for the new series in January and from then onwards he’s back into work mode. The break has been exactly what he needed and done him the world of good."

We can't wait to see him back on our screens!

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