The presenter who will reportedly step in to replace on after the arrival of his first child, has been ‘revealed’.
The host, 48, is set to welcome his first baby with wife Corbett, 46, in June this year.
However, the couple’s happy news could be a headache for ITV bosses – with Anne-Marie potentially going into labour around the same time as the competition’s live shows are expected to air.
Should Ant have to take a sudden leave of absence, ITV bosses are reportedly putting together a contingency plan so as to not leave his presenting partner, , 48, alone.
According to The Sun, a potential frontrunner is This Morning host , 48, who could step in for Ant if Anne-Marie were to go into labour.
Another name also being considered is TV presenter and magician , 46.
A source said: ‘The timing is causing something of a headache for bosses.
‘They are considering whether Dec would want to present alone if Anne-Marie went into labour or, if time allows, a guest presenter could step in. Cat and Stephen, who the lads have worked with in the past, are front-runners.’
Cat rose to fame hosting children’s morning entertainment show SMTV Live with Ant and Dec from 1998-2001. Since then, she has gone on to present Stars In Their Eyes, Fame Academy and guest stints on .
This week she made her permanent debut as the new host of ITV’s This Morning alongside co-anchor , 49.
After almost 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 works with the pair on their show, – hosting his own segment in the show’s Ant vs Dec skits.
Ant and Dec have been joined at the hip since playing PJ and Duncan on kids’ TV show Byker Grove in the 90s. Since then, they have barely been away from the 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 announced that the current series of their variety show will be the last for a while, saying 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 admitted in an interview last month that the show would be taking a hiatus so that.
‘Part of the reason we’re pausing Takeaway is we need a break ourselves, and we need to spend some time with our family,’ he told Fault Magazine.
‘We’ve both got children that we need to spend time with for a little bit,’ he added – in reference to his own imminent little one, and Dec’s own two children .
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.
