Ant McPartlin has defended himself after being ‘told off’ by a judge for missing a court appearance yesterday.
The presenter was due to attend the latest hearing in his divorce from Lisa Armstrong on Monday, but failed to show.
While Lisa was present at London’s Royal Courts of Justice, there was no sign of Ant, 43.
He was instead snapped taking the former couple’s Labrador Hurley for a walk.
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Presiding over the court, Mr Justice Mostyn asked: “Why is he not here? There isn’t one law for the famous and one for the rest of the community.
“The rules say he was supposed to be here – and that can be reported. He has been told off.”
Now representatives for the Saturday Night Takeaway host have explained his absence.
They issued a statement which read: “Ant was advised by his media barrister that he didn’t need to attend court today.
“There was absolutely no intent to disrespect the court.”
Ant announced the couple’s separation in January, with Lisa filing for divorce after his new relationship with former PA Anne-Marie Corbett came to light.
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It’s believed the Ant and Lisa, who were married for 11 years and together for over 20, are working on a settlement over the Geordie star’s £62million, and custody of their beloved dog.
Ant will be missing from one of his most popular shows, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, when it returns to ITV on November 18.
He has taken the rest of the year off to concentrate on his health, after battling issues with alcohol and painkillers.
His TV partner and best friend Dec Donnelly will instead host the show with Holly Willoughby.
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