Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have sent their best wishes to close friend Ant McPartlin, following his admission to rehab.
The TV presenter - one half of presenting duo Ant and Dec - revealed his problems with prescription drugs and alcohol over the weekend, and is checking into a clinic to receive treatment.
Holly and Phillip reacted to the news on Monday’s edition of ‘This Morning’, before later hosting a viewer phone-in about coping with addiction.
Phillip told viewers: “We wanted to take this moment to send our love and best wishes to our mate Ant. As you may have seen he’s checked into a rehab clinic for help with substance abuse, prescription drugs and alcohol.”
Holly described his decision to publicly speak about about his problems as “brave”.
Discussing Ant’s admission with the show’s agony aunt Deidre Sanders, Phillip added: “This is obviously proof that whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you do, these sort of things can affect you.”
Agreeing, Deidre said: “I think it’s great that he’s spoken out because it sets a great example for other people who we know will be out there suffering and worrying about it.
“I don’t think he should feel guilty for it - he was suffering with pain and got trapped, and I think it’s just wonderful that he made that move to get help.”
Speaking to The Sun, Ant revealed how his problems with addiction were caused by depression.
He also suffers from chronic pain in his right knee after a botched operation two years ago, which caused him to become hooked on prescription painkillers.
Since the story broke, Ant’s wife Lisa Armstrong has spoken out on Twitter, as has his co-presenter Declan Donnelly, who thanked fans for their support.
Their employers at ITV have also backed Ant, following his announcement.
‘This Morning’ airs weekdays at 10.30am on ITV.
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