Ant McPartlin said he credits the filming of an ITV show with reuniting him with his father after their relationship became estranged.
The 44-year-old Britain’s Got Talent presenter hadn’t spoken to his dad Ray in 10 years when he started producing Ant & Dec’s DNA Journey with his best friend Declan Donnelly.
Back in 2018, Ant and Dec went on a personal journey through their own family histories, tracing their ancestries before the cameras.
The Geordie star confessed his relationship with his dad “didn’t really exist” before they reunited for the show, adding their shared past had been largely “distant”.
Ant reunited with his dad Ray while filming Ant & Dec’s DNA Journey (Image: Getty Images)
Opening up in his new autobiography, which has been co-written with Dec, Ant looked back on the moment he reconnected with his father after years of separation.
Writing in Once Upon a Tyne, in an excerpt obtained by Mirror Online, he said: “One of the biggest things the show did for me was that it gave me the chance to reconnect with my dad.
“In 2017, we hadn’t seen or spoken to each other for ten years and my relationship with him didn’t really exist.
Ant explained his relationship with dad Ray became ‘non-existent’ over the years (Image: North News & Pictures Ltd)
“But once I started finding stuff out about the paternal side of my family, it felt like the right time to contact him.
“When a parent leaves and you have a distant, or sometimes non-existent relationship, it means that when you do see them, you can struggle to find common ground, but now I had a whole family history to tell him about, like my great-grandfather, the war hero.”
Ant rarely opens up about his father Ray, but admitted his dad’s love for family history brought them closer as he researched their blood ties.
Ant went on: “Me and my dad’s relationship blossomed from there and it’s gone from strength to strength ever since. Without the show, that might never have happened.”
Ant and Dec rose to fame as double act PJ and Duncan in the early 90s (Image: Getty Images)
The BGT host grew up in Newcastle, making his big break when he joined the cast of Byker Grove in his early teens.
On set, he was cast in scenes alongside a young Dec, with the two forming a friendship that would lead to a 30-year working career together.
After Ray left the family home, Ant’s mum Christine raised the young actor and his sisters Sarah and Emma McPartlin by herself.
Once Upon a Tyne: Our Story Celebrating 30 Years Together On Telly is on sale now
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
