Declan Donnelly refused to co-host I’m A Celebrity with Phillip Schofield, he has previously admitted.
Dec, 47, was asked if he would consider presenting the show with Phillip when sidekick Ant McPartlin went into rehab.
But writing in the Geordie duo’s autobiography, Dec said there was no way he would host I’m A Celeb with another male star.
Dec penned: “At first there was a lot of speculation as to who it would be, with people saying Stephen Mulhern or Phillip Schofield should get the job.
“But right from the very, very beginning there was no way I was going to host the show with another male.
“I didn’t want to have another man standing on the same side that Ant stood.”
Upon reading his best pal’s words in Once Upon A Tyne, Ant, also 47, wrote that they “mean the bloody world”.
Who replaced Ant on I’m A Celebrity 2018?
The series Dec was referring to was the 2018 instalment of the popular ITV reality series.
Months earlier, Ant announced that he was bowing out of the spotlight as he conquered his addiction to prescription drugs.
Holly Willoughby was eventually drafted in as Ant’s replacement. And she made it very clear she wasn’t nabbing Ant’s job forever.
In a statement at the time, Holly said: “I love Ant and want to send him my best wishes and support for a continued recovery.
“These are big shoes, not to fill, but just to keep warm for a little bit. I couldn’t be more excited to have been asked to stand alongside Dec for the next jungle adventure.”
Ant later returned to host I’m A Celebrity alongside best friend Dec for the 2019 series.
Of course, the series then headed to Wales for two years, due to the pandemic.
It returned to Australia for the first time in two years for the 2022 series.
The final of the 2022 series, hosted by Ant and Dec, is on ITV tonight (November 27).
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