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Declan Donnelly pictured arriving at Ant McPartlin’s home after police visit

He managed a smile for photographers

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Declan Donnelly has been photographed smiling while waiting at the front door of his best friend Ant McPartlin’s home this afternoon.

Dec waiting to see his friend (Credit: Flynet)

Earlier Ant was snapped for the first time seen since Sunday as he headed to Kingston police station.

Ant leaving for the police station (Credit: Flynet)

A police spokesman said: “A 42-year-old man attended a west London police station today and was interviewed under caution.

“He’s been further released under investigation.”

The TV favourite was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving after failing a roadside breathalyser test on Sunday, following a collision between him and two other cars in Richmond, London.

His visit to the police station came as it was confirmed Dec will be presenting the rest of the current series of their  show Saturday Night Takeaway alone when it returns on March 31.

Ant has taken a step back from his TV commitments and will return to rehab.

An ITV spokesman said: “We can confirm that Saturday Night Takeaway, presented by Declan Donnelly, will return to ITV on March 31, and the series finale will be taking place at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida a week later.”

The variety programme was previously confirmed to not be airing this coming Saturday.

ITV has changed the schedule and pulled forward an episode of The Voice UK to fill the slot.

Dec wrote in a statement on the duo’s official Twitter page: “Whilst I never thought I’d be in this position, after much discussion and careful consideration we’ve decided that the remaining two shows of this series of Saturday Night Takeaway will go ahead.”

Referring to the winners who are flown out to Florida for the final episode of the series, he added: “We made a promise to take hundreds of deserving winners to Florida to watch the series finale, and we will honour that.

“Everyone at ITV and the Takeaway team feels we owe it to the audience to complete the series.”

On Monday, it was confirmed that Ant is taking a leave of absence from his TV work and will go back to rehab, after first being treated last year due to an addiction to painkillers following a knee operation in 2015.

ITV
Dec is going it alone (Credit: ITV)

Ant’s publicist said in a statement: “Ant has decided to go back into treatment and step down from his current TV commitments.

“He has spoken with Dec and ITV today and asked for time off for the foreseeable future. As such, Saturday Night Takeaway will not be going ahead this Saturday.”

An ITV spokesman said on Monday they were “reviewing options” for the remaining two episodes of the series, which will now air as scheduled but without Ant.

Following his arrest on Sunday, Ant was questioned at a south London police station and later “released under investigation”, a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said.

Police previously confirmed that a number of individuals were treated at the scene for minor injuries, and a child passenger from one of the cars was taken to hospital to be checked as a precaution.

It marked the latest in a string of personal setbacks for the star, whose admission to rehab last year was followed, several months later, by the announcement that his marriage of 11 years to his wife Lisa had ended.

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Kaggie Hyland
Editor-in-Chief

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