Ant McPartlin on paternity leave after becoming a dad as Britain's Got Talent continues

Ant McPartlin is on paternity leave after he welcomed his first child with wife Anne-Marie Corbett. The couple - who tied the knot in 2021 - were "over the moon" to announce the arrival of their baby boy, Wilder Patrick McPartlin, who was born on Tuesday, May 14 and admitted the tot already has his dad "a mess".

Now Ant, who is currently co-hosting the new series of Britain's Got Talent alongside Declan Donnelly, is taking a short break. Wilder was born at the London Clinic; the same private hospital King Charles and the Princess of Wales have received treatment. Ant will now spend quality time with their little one as he takes around two weeks off ahead of the Britain's Got Talent live semi-finals on ITV which start on Monday, May 27. But he will be seen on screen this weekend as normal as the heats are recorded.

Alongside a black-and-white photograph of himself holding the the newborn, the 48-year-old announced the birth of his son on Ant and Dec's official Instagram account saying: "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."

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It's been reported that Dec, 48, is godfather to Wilder, as he is the godparent of his and wife Ali Astall's two children, Isla and Jack. Ant is also stepfather to Anne-Marie's two children, Daisy and Poppy, and has a special family tree tattoo in their honour.

A friend of the star told The Sun: "Ant has longed to become a dad for years and being a father figure to Daisy and Poppy has brought him untold joy. When Anne-Marie fell pregnant, Ant was over the moon. They knew they were having a son for some time and Ant is looking forward to taking Wilder to his first Newcastle United game in a few years. For Ant, his family really does feel complete. He is on cloud nine."

The family have been inundated with messages of congratulations from their famous friends. Davina McCall commented: "Arggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!! This is AMAZING !!!! Congratulations to ALL of you. (sic)"

First Dates star Fred Sirieix wrote: "Congrats." Another fan commented: "I've never been so happy for someone I've never met. You're going to be the best daddy Ant."

Ant and his 46-year-old ex-personal assistant Anne-Marie kept their baby news private. The Geordie funnyman has always wanted to be a dad, and he and his ex-wife, makeup artist Lisa Armstrong, 47, tried to have children.

He previously told the Radio Times: "Lisa and I would love to have kids. We're trying. It's tougher than you think when you get a bit older." The pair split in 2018, after 11 years of marriage, and his relationship with Anne-Marie was made public just six months later.