Ant McPartlin makes rare family comment on first outing since baby Wilder’s birth

Ant McPartlin took a break from his paternity leave after welcoming his son Wilder, who was born on 14 May.

Alongside his longtime friend and co-presenter Declan Donnelly, this week the new dad hosted the 20th year of The Prince’s Trust and TK Maxx & Homesense Awards, where he provided a rare insight into his home life.

As he and Dec spoke to Laura Wild, who set up community interest company Wild Spirit Canines to train assistance dogs, the Saturday Night Takeaway stars reflected on how well their own dogs might perform as assistance animals.

Ant showcased his love for animals as he cooed over Laura’s assistance dog, golden retriever Summer: “She’s gorgeous, yes she is.”

“Can any dog train to be an assistance dog? We’ve both got dogs,” Dec commented, as Ant agreed: “Yep.”

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The couple are doting parents

As Laura shared that assistance dogs need to be “Intelligent and well-behaved” as well as motivated by food, Ant agreed: “I’ve got a labrador, he’s exactly the same when it comes to food.”

The star shares his chocolate lab, Hurley, with his ex-wife, Lisa Armstrong. He married his second wife, Anne-Marie Corbett, in 2021, three years into their relationship.

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Ant shares his dog with ex-wife Lisa Armstrong

The couple are the proud owners of two dogs of their own, Milo and Bumble, who, like Hurley, are part of Ant’s family tree tattoo, which also pays tribute to his step-daughters, Daisy and Poppy.

Ant shared the details of his ink after fans scrutinising the birth announcement of his son wondered why Hurley had been left off the tattoo, taking to social media to clear things up.

Ant’s tattoo commemorates his family

Returning to X to explain, Ant began: “Hey all, I just wanted to say thank you so much for the kind messages of love and well wishes for our baby Wilder. He’s doing great.

“Glad you loved the tattoo as well. For all you dog lovers who asked why my beloved Hurley wasn’t on the family tree… he was!! He was just covered by our newborn. All my love, gratitude and heartfelt thanks.”

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Ant with Hurley outside his home

Confirming the news on social media, he wrote: “Welcome to the family Wilder Patrick Mcpartlin. Born, 14/05/24 at 8.54am Baby is beautiful, Mummy’s a legend, Sisters are over the moon. Dad’s a mess!”

Ant’s royal absence

The day after The Prince’s Trust Awards, Ant spent time with his family while Dec was among the stars attending a reception at Buckingham Palace.

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Dec and his wife Ali Astall

Speaking to King Charles at the event, he said of the awards: “Ant and I were there also but he’s not here today and sends his apologies, he’s got a week old baby, he’s breastfeeding, or helping with.”

The King laughed then said: “Please give him my regards. Fantastic. Because you are amazing.”

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Ant and Anne-Marie welcomed their son earlier this month

The star’s family time

Ant and Anne-Marie will raise their son at the £6 million home they share in Wimbledon, which has plenty of space to raise their blended family.

While the couple had been extremely private about their pregnancy, Ant’s stepfather told The Sun that he was “very happy” about becoming a father this year.

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Ant and Dec are spending more time with their families

Additionally, Mail Online reported that Declan has been given the honour of serving as the baby’s godfather. After years of friendship, Ant was appointed godfather to Dec’s children – Isla (born in 2019) and Jack (born in 2022).

The duo recently decided to take a break from their hit gameshow Saturday Night Takeaway, telling the audience that they wanted to “spend time with family”.