Ant McPartlin ‘joked about alcohol addiction’ in groom’s speech after marrying Anne-Marie Corbett

Ant and Anne-Marie tied the knot on Saturday (Picture: Beretta/Sims/REX/Shutterstock)

Ant McPartlin reportedly joked about his struggles with alcohol during his speech at his wedding to Anne-Marie Corbett.

The 45-year-old tied the knot with his girlfriend of two years in Heckfield, Hampshire on Saturday in front of a host of celebrity friends, including Dec Donnelly, Phillip Schofield, Cat Deeley, Alesha Dixon and Christine Lampard.

Following the ceremony at St Michael’s Church, Ant and Anne-Marie threw a lavish reception at Heckfield Place, and the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! reportedly poked fun at his addiction issues in his groom’s speech.

According to the Daily Mail, Ant opened his speech by saying: ‘Hi, I’m Ant and I’m an alcoholic.’

The star also used his speech to call his best man Dec, also 45, ‘the best friend a man could have’, and said that he and Anne-Marie, 43, are now the ‘perfect family’.

Ant also addressed becoming a stepfather to Anne-Marie’s daughters Poppy and Daisy, who acted as flower girls, saying: ‘They are amazing girls and I’m grateful that they call me Dad.’

The Geordie star has been sober since his arrest and subsequent charge for drink-driving in March 2018, when he was found to be over the limit when he crashed his Mini into another car which was carrying a family, injuring a four-year-old child. 

Ant pleaded guilty to drink-driving in March 2018 (Picture: Alexander Crawley)

Ant had previously said that he wasn’t an alcoholic, believing that his drinking wasn’t an issue while he became addicted to prescription painkillers.

He previously told The Sun: ‘What you find in recovery is if you’re dependent on something, in my case painkillers, it might transfer to something else if you’re not careful… I didn’t take on board as much as I should how much your head scrambles once you face an addiction head-on and overcome it.

‘Your head goes crazy because you’ve relied on something for so long then all you’re left with is yourself. If you haven’t dealt with the underlying unhappiness, you’ll always be subject to falling back and leaning on other things to help you change the way you feel.’

Ant had previously gone to rehab to treat depression and his addiction to prescription drugs, which began after a botched knee surgery in 2015.

The couple were married in Heckfield in front of friends and family (Picture: Neil Mockford/GC Images)
Photographer: Neil Mockford
Provider: GC Images
Source: GC Images
Copyright: Neil Mockford

It’s been a rocky few years for Ant, who was replaced on I’m A Celebrity by Holly Willoughby in the wake of his arrest, and was given an £86,000 fine and a 20-month driving ban.

His drink-driving charge came two months after he announced his separation from wife Lisa Armstrong, who he had been with for 23 years and married to for 11 years.

Soon after their split, Ant went public with Anne-Marie, who previously worked as his personal assistant.

More: Ant McPartlin

Anne-Marie had separated from her husband Scott Corbett months earlier. 

The couple looked over the moon as they posed for pictures outside the church on Saturday, with Anne-Marie looking stunning in a bespoke one-shouldered gown from designer Suzanne Neville.

It is believed the wedding cost £200,000, including £100,000 splashed on accommodation, room service and luxury spa treatments for their guests. 

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