Ant McPartlin's touching gesture to Declan Donnelly after becoming a dad

Ant McPartlin has made a heartfelt gesture to his best mate and co-star Declan Donnelly following the birth of his first child.

The 48 year old television presenter is overjoyed after his wife Anne-Marie, 46, gave birth to their son.

They announced the arrival of their baby boy on Tuesday night with a charming black and white photo, reports the Mirror.

In the picture, Ant is seen holding his newborn son, and the couple expressed their joy with the caption: "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!"

The birth took place 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 recently.

Sources have now disclosed that Ant has chosen Dec as the godfather to his son, as reported by The Sun.

Following the announcement of their bundle of joy, Ant and Anne-Marie have been inundated with congratulatory messages from well-wishers and celebrity pals alike.

Among them, Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon 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."

The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett enthusiastically shared: "LOVE THIS! " while ex-This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby posted: "Congratulations... welcome to the world Wilder... such beautiful news..." Current This Morning host Cat Deeley responded with: "Amazing! What wonderful news.... Congratulations."

Ants fellow Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden also chimed in with: "Oh my gosh, this is just the most amazing news. Congratulations."

Their newborn's name, Wilder Patrick, holds profound significance. According to Behind the Name, Wilder is derived from the Old English surname Wilde signifying "wild, untamed, uncontrolled" whilst Patrick hails from the Latin Patricius, meaning "nobleman".

Fans were quick to notice a remarkable detail as Ant announced Wilder Patrick's birth - a previously unseen tattoo featuring a tree adorned with names.

These monikers read Daisy, Amzie, Poppy, and Bumble. One fan speculated: "His 2 step daughters, and I'm assuming Amzie may be a nickname for his wife, Ann Marie? " Another guessed: "It's Bumble, one of his dogs."

Another added: "Amzie is his wife, poppy and daisy are his stepdaughters and bumble is his dog."

Ant and Anne-Marie, who married in 2021, kept their pregnancy journey out of the public eye. The television favourite had previously parted ways with his former partner Lisa Armstrong shortly before his relationship with Anne-Marie came to light.

Following the birth of Ant's child, Lisa posted a thought-provoking message on Instagram, which read: "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."

Ant has long expressed his desire to become a father, as he mentioned in an interview with Radio Times back in 2013, saying: "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."

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