Will new dad Ant McPartlin host Britain’s Got Talent live semi-finals?

Congratulations are in order as Ant McPartlin welcomed his first child Wilder with his wife Anne-Marie - weeks before Britain's Got Talent's semi-finals.

At the weekend, McPartlin was pictured with his best friend Declan Donnelly at the BAFTA Television Awards held at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

McPartlin and Donnelly have a great friendship off-screen as well as on-screen so it's no surprise it's been reported that he has made a touching gesture to his best pal. It's believed Donnelly will be the godfather of Wilder.

It's going to be an incredibly busy time for the new dad with his responsibilities as a parent while also juggling his high-profile TV career. So will McPartlin be back on our screens alongside his best friend to host the Britain's Got Talent live semi-finals?

Ant's baby announcement

McPartlin made the special announcement on Ant & Dec's joint official Instagram account. He wrote: "Welcome to the family Wilder Patrick Mcpartlin. Born, 14/05/24 at 8.54am Baby is beautiful, Mummy’s a legend, Sisters are over the moon. Dad’s a mess!"

All of his celebrity friends have shared their congratulations beneath the Instagram post. Alesha Dixon wrote: "Awwwww darling I’m so happy for you both! Baby shares the same birthday as my mummy! Can’t wait to meet buba and to celebrate soon! Love you both."

Amanda Holden wrote: "Oh my gosh, this is just the most amazing news. Congratulations."

Holly Willoughby added: "Congratulations… welcome to the world Wilder… such beautiful news…"

As the world got a glimpse of his little one, fans were also delighted to see McPartlin's previously unseen tattoo which has a special meaning. The beautiful tree includes the names of his wife, "Amzy", his stepdaughters and their dog. No doubt the name of his son Wilder will be the tattoo's latest addition in weeks to come.

McPartlin has loved being a stepdad to his wife's daughters from a previous marriage. Although often he keeps his private life away from the spotlight, the Saturday Night Takeaway presenter shared his admiration for the girls in a chat in 2021.

He told The Telegraph: "I’ve got two step-daughters, 13 and 15 and they are more socially aware at that age than I was in my mid-20s. Than I still am."

When are the Britain's Got Talent live semi-finals?

There are less than two weeks until the first Britain's Got Talent live semi-finals. They are being held at the Eventim Apollo, in London very soon. The dates have been listed as 27, 28, 29 and 30 May.

It has been reported that McPartlin is on paternity leave and it's thought he will be back at work on 27 May.

There was no pressure for McPartlin to be on our screens though and a big thanks to his fantastic team at Britain's Got Talent who were willing to help. Music mogul Simon Cowell offered to step in to host alongside Donnelly if McPartlin was unable to be at the live semi-finals.

With McPartlin's son being born ahead of the live shows, it's expected he will be back and that Cowell can stay on the judging panel.

In April this year, Cowell told The Mirror: "When I heard Ant was going to become a dad, I told him it would be the best thing that ever happened to him. I basically said the first nine months are a bit strange because they can't talk to you.

"I remember saying to Lauren about Eric at one point: 'I don't think he likes me.' But then after a year everything changes and it's hilarious, it's great fun, and you'll really really enjoy it. And it will be life-changing for him. I'm really happy for both of them. What will happen if the baby arrives during the live shows? I'll probably have to host with Dec. Why not?"

Ant and Dec focus on family

The nation's favourite Geordie duo have set their sights on spending more time at home with their families. Donnelly has two young children - Isla and Jack - with his wife Ali Astall and now McPartlin has become a dad for the first time.

It's no secret that they are one of the most hard-working TV presenters but the pair plan on slowing down this year as they announced they were resting Saturday Night Takeaway.

At the end of the show, McPartlin said: "On a more personal level, part of the reason we're pausing Takeaway is we need a break ourselves, and we need to spend some time with our family.”

They had previously shared having children was their priority. McPartlin told Fault magazine: "We've both got children that we need to spend time with for a little bit. We need time to think and, and time to step back and look at the bigger picture and just see where we are now."

Yahoo has reached out to Britain's Got Talent and Ant McPartlin's representatives for further comment.

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