Holly Willoughby has revealed why she has chosen not to comment on her friend Ant McPartlin’s recent arrest on suspicion of drink driving.
Holly says she decided not to speak openly about the troubled star “out of respect for him”, adding that she felt it was something that nobody should be discussing.
She told The Guardian: “Everybody knows that Ant is a very good friend of mine and I’ve known him for a very long time.
“To be honest, on that first day, nobody knew what had happened, and you know, it’s an ongoing police case right now.”
Holly continued: “It’s not something anybody should be talking about. Out of respect for him, I love him to bits, it’s not something that I find very easy to talk about. Because it’s a friend. His is not my story to tell.”
She concluded: “He’s just got to look after himself, that’s all.”
Ant’s arrest in March wasn’t initially acknowledged on ‘This Morning’, which Holly presents with Phillip Schofield - who is also a close friend of Ant.
The pair eventually addressed the incident a day later, having received criticism from viewers for failing to bring up Ant’s troubles on the previous day’s show.
Phillip told viewers: “This is difficult for us, we’re talking about a friend here,” Phil explained at the top of the show. “Like many people, we’re shocked and saddened by Sunday’s incident involving Ant.”
Holly continued: “We can’t say much more as the matter is still being investigated by the police, but we want to wish those shaken and upset by the collision a quick recovery, and personally for Ant, we hope he gets some time and space to return to full health.”
Phil went on: “Ant’s now gone back into treatment. He’s clearly struggling.
“He loves Dec, he loves his career, he loves the shows they make together and he loves their fans.”
Phil then concluded by condemning drink-driving and sent Ant their best wishes.
“The overwhelming feeling, we believe, has to be that no matter who you are, or what you do, if you get into a car having had a drink, the responsibility is entirely yours,” he said. “We wish Ant, and all those involved in these sad events, the very best.”
Meanwhile, Simon Cowell has spoken out for the first time about Ant’s recent troubles, publicly backing the TV presenter.
Ahead of ’Britain’s Got Talent’ returning to our screens tonight (14 April), the show’s boss says he’s “standing by” his friend.
Simon told The Sun: “We’ve known each other a long time, and you stand by the people you work with over the years, for the obvious reasons.
“We always stand by our friends. We’re all human.
Simon added that he was pleased Ant had made the decision to step down from all work commitments and return to treatment.
“The most important thing is he’s manned up,” Simon says. “He’s going to get himself back together. And the show goes on, it’s as simple as that.”