Holly Willoughby to replace Ant McPartlin on I'm A Celebrity

Holly Willoughby will host this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! alongside Declan Donnelly, ITV has revealed.

She will replace Ant McPartlin, who is taking the rest of the year off after a drink-driving conviction which led to him being banned from driving for 20 months and fined £86,000.

Sending McPartlin her "best wishes and support for a continued recovery", the 37-year-old daytime presenter said she won't be trying to fill his shoes, but simply "keep them warm for a little bit".

Announcing her forthcoming Australian adventure, she said she could not be more excited and that she felt like she'd "won a competition to go and hang out on my favourite show!"

Explaining that she was a huge fan, she admitted "I'm scared of everything that moves!"

Donnelly described Willoughby as "top of his list" of potential co-hosts, and said he was "stupidly excited at the thought of watching her during the eating trials!"

ITV's director of television, Kevin Lygo, said: "Holly is a brilliant presenter with a wicked sense of humour who has always enjoyed a great friendship and rapport with Ant and Dec - I have no doubt she will take to jungle life, if not the critters, really quickly."

Speaking about McPartlin's break from the show earlier this month, Lygo said McPartlin was "doing really well" and was "doing everything he should be doing to get better".

Describing the presenter's recovery as "a slow procedure", he said they had all agreed to "give it a good amount of time off".

Saturday Night Takeaway - which is also hosted by presenting double act Ant & Dec - will not air during McPartlin's break.

It is not yet known who will replace Willoughby alongside Phillip Schofield on her This Morning breakfast show role.

McPartlin and Donnelly have hosted I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here, together since 2002.

They first worked together as child actors in ITV children's show Byker Grove, playing PJ and Duncan, before moving into pop and then presenting.

The pair have won numerous awards for their presenting - the style of which has been compared to Morecambe and Wise - and were made OBEs at Buckingham Palace last year.

In January, McPrtlin announced he was divorcing wife and Strictly Come Dancing make-up boss Lisa Armstrong after 11 years of marriage.

I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! returns to ITV this autumn.