Anthony McPartlin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anthony "Ant" McPartlin (born November 18, 1975) is one half of the acting and television presenting duo 'Ant & Dec' alongside Declan Donnelly.

[edit] Career

Main article: Ant & Dec

His first appearance on television was on the children's workshop programme Why Don't You [1] but he rose to prominence playing PJ in the Children's BBC series Byker Grove. It was here that he first met Declan Donnelly, who was cast in the part of Duncan, and real life mirrored the programme as the two became best friends both on set and off. The two left the series in 1993 but not before, in the guise of "PJ & Duncan AKA" they had a number of hit records, starting with "Tonight I'm Free", a song that they had performed on the show.[2]

Since that time the pair have appeared together in such programmes as SMTV Live, I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and Poker Face. They have also returned to acting, starring in a 2002 Tribute to The Likely Lads and the 2006 film Alien Autopsy. He and Dec also presented the major-hit TV series "Pop Idol"

Ant is the taller of the two (5'8), and usually stands on the left of the screen.

[edit] Private life

After leaving Byker Grove the pair fell on lean times but eventually made their way to London and fame, sharing a flat and giving interviews in which they exposed the image that they had built up appearing in children's programmes.

On July 22, 2006 Ant married his long term girlfriend, make up artist Lisa Armstrong, at St. Nicholas Church in Taplow, Buckinghamshire. Dec was, unsurprisingly, his best man. The couple had met at the time of PJ & Duncan when Lisa was also in a band, called Deuce. In the week leading up to the wedding Dec said he thought he was more nervous than the groom because he had to give a speech. In a move away from most celebrity weddings the couple decided not to sell pictures of their wedding to celebrity magazines, preferring instead to keep things private.