Ant McPartlin made a heartfelt gesture to his best mate and co-star Declan Donnelly following the birth of his first child. The beloved television presenter, aged 48, is overjoyed after his wife Anne-Marie, 46, gave birth to their son. The couple announced the arrival of their baby boy to their fans on Tuesday evening with a charming black and white photograph.
In the image, Ant is seen holding his newborn son, and the couple expressed their joy with the message: "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!"
Anne-Marie delivered their son just shy of 9am at the prestigious London Clinic, which has also catered to the medical needs of King Charles and the Princess of Wales in recent times. Sources have now disclosed that Ant has paid a special tribute to his long-time pal Dec by choosing him to be his baby boy's godfather.
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Following the announcement of their bundle of joy, Ant and Anne-Marie have been inundated with congratulatory messages from well-wishers and celebrity friends alike. Alesha Dixon, a judge on Britain's Got Talent, commented: "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," reports the Mirror.
Excitement ensued as The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett gushed: "LOVE THIS! " Accompanied with a sweet message from former This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby who shared: "Congratulations... welcome to the world Wilder... such beautiful news..." Cat Deeley of This Morning also joined in the celebration commenting: "Amazing ! What wonderful news .... Congratulations." Ant's Britain's Got Talent colleague, Amanda Holden expressed her joy stating: "Oh my gosh, this is just the most amazing news. Congratulations."
The pair's choice of name holds significant meaning. Behind the Name reveals that Wilder descends from an old English surname, Wilde, epitomising "wild, untamed, uncontrolled". The name Patrick hails from the Latin, Patricius, connoting "nobleman". An extraordinary detail was perceived by fans as Ant announced the arrival of his son they identified Ant's previously unseen tattoo illustrating a tree interspersed with names upon its leaves.
READ MORE: Everyone thinks Ant's baby will be named after this Newcastle legend
These names read Daisy, Amzie, Poppy and Bumble. One fan speculating: "His 2 step daughters, and I'm assuming Amzie may be a nickname for his wife, Ann Marie? " Another adducing: "It's Bumble, one of his dogs." Alongside another sharing their interpretation: "Amzie is his wife, poppy and daisy are his stepdaughters and bumble is his dog."
Ant and Anne-Marie, who married in 2021, have kept things low-key during the pregnancy. The television favourite had parted ways with his former wife Lisa Armstrong just a short while before his relationship with Anne-Marie came to light. Following the birth of Ant's child, Lisa posted an enigmatic message on Instagram. It included the quote: "Be proud of how you have been handling these past few months. The silent battles you've fought, the moments you've had to humble yourself, the times you've wiped your own tears. Celebrate your strength."
The Newcastle-born presenter has long expressed his desire to become a father, as he mentioned in a 2013 Radio Times interview: "There's a rumour that we do everything together and I'm holding off having kids till Dec finds himself Mrs Right. I love that idea, but I'm afraid it's not true. Lisa and I would love to have kids. We're trying."
