Entertainment
Ant McPartlin joins Duchess of Cambridge at addiction campaign launch after issues with prescription drugs
Ant arrived at the campaign launch (Picture: Beretta/Sims/REX)
Ant McPartlin has joined the Duchess of Cambridge at the launch of a campaign tackling addiction, having previously spoke about his own struggles.
The 45-year-old was pictured exiting a car outside BAFTA in London’s Piccadilly with wife Anne-Marie Corbett, as he attended the Forward Trust’s launch for its Taking Action on Addiction campaign.
Ant was dressed in a dark suit, while Anne-Marie wore a fitted green midi dress.
The couple were set to hear a keynote address from Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, who is a patron of the Forward Trust.
Kate is set to deliver a keynote address which will highlight the importance of tackling misinformation and misunderstanding surrounding addiction and its roots in early childhood experiences.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! host Ant is also expected to meet with beneficiaries of the charity, as well as supporters with lived experience of addiction.
The star has spoken about his own addiction issues (Picture: Beretta/Sims/REX/Shutterstock)
Ant’s wife Anne-Marie was there for support (Picture: Beretta/Sims/REX/Shutterstock)
The presenter has been open about his own struggles with addiction, having experienced addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol.
Ant 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.
He was handed an £86,000 fine and a 20-month driving ban for the incident.
The Geordie star 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.
Kate is giving a speech at the event (Picture: Neil Mockford/GC Images)
‘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.
Worried about drugs?
Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email frank@talktofrank.com, message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.
Adfam has local groups for families affected by drugs and alcohol and DrugFam offers phone and email support to people affected by other people’s drug or alcohol misuse.
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