Ant McPartlin revealed why becoming a stepfather before welcoming his son with his wife Anne-Marie Corbett helped him prepare for the challenges of first-time fatherhood.
The 50-year-old TV presenter and his wife, 47, announced the birth of their first son together, Wilder Patrick McPartlin, on 14 May 2024. Anne-Marie was already a mum to Daisy and Poppy from her previous marriage to businessman Scott Corbett.
During a recent episode of their podcast, Hanging Out With Ant & Dec, alongside Declan Donnelly, 50, the presenter opened up about his journey with parenthood and how helping raise his wife's daughters changed him.
Answering a question about how fatherhood had changed the pair, he told listeners that being able to speak with them massively helped him understand what lay ahead once his son was born.
Ant revealed: "It's a bit deep, but we don't mind that, we can delve a bit deeper. I was lucky enough to be a stepdad to my girls a few years before my son was born, so I feel like I had a really great introduction to fatherhood because I got to be able to talk to them straight away.
"I could converse with them, I could have fun with them, we could go out, and the feedback was immediate."
He continued: "And then when Wilder came along, I got to do all of the baby, toddler stuff that I didn't get to do with the girls, so I've had kind of the best of both worlds, really.
"It changes you for the better. All of the sleepless nights, the early mornings, the tiredness, are worth it. It's all worth it; it's the greatest thing I think you can do. It far surpasses anything that we've achieved in our own career," the star added.
Ant's blended family
The I'm A Celebrity presenter revealed he had welcomed his son via an Instagram post and wrote in his caption: "Welcome to the family. Wilder Patrick McPartlin. Born, 14/05/24 at 8.54 am. Baby is beautiful, Mummy's a legend, sisters are over the moon. Dad's a mess!"
He added a black and white picture of himself holding his newborn in his arms and showed off his tattoo that already bore the names of his two stepdaughters.
© Dave J Hogan/Getty ImagesSpeaking about becoming a parent of his own child, he told the Daily Star at the time: "I'm really good, I'm really happy. There are lots of nappies and sleepless nights, but it's absolutely wonderful. I'm loving it. It's been the best year."
Ant and Anne-Marie, the star's former personal assistant, tied the knot in 2021 at St Michael Church in Heckfield in front of friends and family, including Alesha Dixon, David Walliams and Christine Lampard.
Anne-Marie's two daughters were bridesmaids at their wedding, and Ant reportedly said in his wedding speech that they call him "dad".
