Ant McPartlin to marry in front of celeb pals, but 'Simon Cowell won't be in attendance'

Ant McPartlin is set to marry his “rock” Anne-Marie Corbett today (August 7).

It has been reported that there will be an esteemed list of a-list pals at the intimate countryside wedding, but boss and friend Simon Cowell won’t be in attendance and is still holidaying in The Bahamas, The Sun reported.

On Friday (August 6) final preparations were being made ahead of today’s lavish wedding in Hampshire, when a team of florists began dressing the church ready for the ceremony.

The publication reported that a lorry full of flowers like hydrangeas, sweetpeas and purple and pink roses were delivered, with some of the flowers being transformed into a floral arch at the entrance of the church.

Barriers have also been placed along the route to the church, and security guards kept an eye on the countryside Georgian estate which will host the wedding breakfast.

Ant and Anne-Marie are set to get married in an “intimate” village church in Hampshire, which will see an esteemed list of a-list celebs bare witness to the wedding.

Guests are set to include Ant’s best friend and and right-hand man – Declan Donnelly – who happened to be the best man at his first wedding to ex-wife Lisa Armstrong.

This Morning host Holly Willoughby is set to be joined by co-host Phillip Schofield is also on the wedding list, as is Stephen Mulhern who stars on Saturday Night Takeaway alongside both Ant and Dec.

The Sun reported that Simon Cowell won’t be on the guest list. This claim comes a year after Ant and Dec claimed they once nearly quit Britain’s Got Talent due to a huge row with the Syco music boss.

However they flew to Los Angeles and had it out with Simon and were able to rebuild bridges.

Speaking in their book, Once Upon A Tyne, the pair said: “The audition days had been long, which in itself we don’t mind, but after filming interviews and interacting with every single act, as well as making jokes, giving reactions and everything else we always do, we found that when the show went out on TV, we hardly seemed to feature in it at all,” it was written in their book.

“We began to feel we were wasting our time doing the auditions because all the work we were doing was ending up on the cutting room floor.”

Daily Star has contacted Ant’s reps for comment.

Not only will Simon Cowell be absent from the wedding, but so will Amanda Holden.

The BGT judge took to Instagram earlier to confirm that she wouldn’t be in attendance due to still being abroad.

Ant’s wife-to-be Anne-Marie has enlisted her two teenage daughters and niece to try their hands at being bridesmaids.

It has also been claimed that the happy couple are hoping for a “simple but beautiful ceremony” where they will be surrounded by close friends and family.

A source told The Sun: “Neither of them want the razzmatazz of a showbiz wedding.”

The source also revealed that the pair doesn’t want the “glare of the spotlight” on their special day.

It is reported that there will be a guest list of 100 “nearest and dearest” who are expected to be joining them.

Despite the small-ish guest list, it seems as though no expenses were spared when it came to looking after their loved ones.

The couple who are due to be married today have reportedly put their wedding guests up in a lavish hotel for the duration of their wedding weekend, which has allegedly set the couple back around £100,000.

The I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here host split from his wife Lisa Armstrong in 2018, after 11 years of marriage.

Ant then got close to Anne-Marie after he was arrested for drink-driving in March 2018.

She was his “rock” when Ant ensured a prescription drug problem following complications with knee surgery.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk