Stephen Mulhern gives update on whether Ant will return for I’m a Celeb this year

Stephen Mulhern has given an update on whether Ant McPartlin will be able to return for this year's I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here. 

The ITV presenter said that he hoped that Ant would "be back to his old self for next year." Ant was recently fined £86,000 following a drink driving incident in London. He was also banned from driving for 20 months. Mulhern told Best magazine that his friend needed time to recover. He said:

“Fingers crossed, Ant will get the treatment he needs and be back to his old self for next year. “But he does need the rest and to be left alone, and given the time to recover.”

ITV's I'm a Celeb tends to take place in December in the Australian jungle. Mulhern's response suggests that Ant will not have recovered by this time. Ant has not taken on any presenting roles since he was arrested for drink-driving. Co-presenter Dec hosted the final two episodes of ITV's Saturday Night Takeaway alone. Ant had begun filming parts of the Britain's Got Talent audition process before his arrest, however it is likely that Dec will present the programme's live shows solo. Ant has since checked into rehab.