TV star Ant McPartlin has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving after his vehicle smashed into two cars on Sunday afternoon.
A three-year-old girl was taken to hospital after the I'm A Celebrity presenter lost control of his Mini at around 4pm today in Richmond, South West London.
The 42-year-old failed a roadside breathalyser test and was arrested by police. As of 1am on Monday morning, police said the suspect was still in custody, raising the prospect that he may spend the night in a prison cell.
The troubled television personality allegedly crashed his black Mini after losing control of his vehicle on a roundabout, which veered into the opposite side of the road and collided with a green Mini, which had a young girl and couple inside.
Monday's Sun newspaper had a picture of the star being arrested this afternoon
Anthony McPartlin walks his dog with his mother in Richmond Park. Picture taken 18 January
Ant McPartlin, 42, (left) was arrested on suspicion of drink driving in Richmond this afternoon
Ant's Mini then spun around and hit a maroon BMW before eventually coming to a halt on the opposite side of the road.
His mother Christine was in the car at the time and the pair are thought to have been heading home after walking the dogs.
The collision comes after a tumultuous few months for the I'm A Celeb star, who booked himself into a rehab clinic last year after becoming hooked on painkillers and is now divorcing his wife Lisa Armstrong.
The divorce from his wife of 11 years is believed to be costing the star around £30 million of his estimated £60 million fortune.
Just hours before the collision, Ant had been hosting his ITV show 'Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway' with co-host Declan Donnelly.
A witness said Ant was 'argumentative' with a female police officer as she arrested him on suspicion of drink driving.
Jake Spencer said Ant rowed with officers as they tried to put him in the police car following the incident.
'Ant looked in a right state and was acting argumentatively toward a policewoman,' he told The Sun. 'I couldn't believe it when I saw who it was.
'The woman was trying to arrest him and get him in the police car but he clearly wasn't having it. '
Motorcyclist Nicholas McNicol told The Sun: 'I came on the scene moments after it happened and he was being escorted to the police car to be put in the back.
'Everyone was in a state of shock at who it was.
'I was driving past very slowly and Ant looked straight at me and I thought he looked tired. I was only about 3ft from him.
'His eyes looked very heavy and he had a solemn face — it looked like his world had just ended.
'He was the only one being put in a police car. One of the Minis had obviously come straight across the road because it was facing the wrong way.'
Other witnesses described hearing a 'huge bang' which they mistook for a train crash.
One said: 'As soon as I opened my front door I heard the horn of a car blaring non-stop and ran towards the sound.
'Near a bend in the road there were two badly damaged Minis which looked as though they'd collided and a BMW X5 — and people wandering around in shock.
'A family had been in the green Mini which had its front end completely smashed in.'
The witness added that a little girl was crying and that her mother was trying to calm her down. They described Ant as looking 'awful' and 'unsteady on his feet' following the collision, which had left his Mini in a 'wreck'.
Ant McPartlin had presented 'Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway' just a day before his arrest
Ant McPartlin walking his dogs in January this year. He has been going through a tumultuous time in the past few months, after he went into rehab and is now going through a divorce
The crash took place on Lower Richmond Road at around 4pm this afternoon
The divorce from his wife of 11 years is believed to be costing the star around £30 million of his estimated £60 million fortune.
Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Police in Richmond were called to Lower Richmond Road, SW14 at 15:59hrs on Sunday, 18 March following reports of a road traffic collision involving three vehicles.
'Officers, London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade attended.
'A number of individuals were treated at the scene for minor injuries only. A child passenger from one of the cars has been taken to hospital for a check up as a precaution.
'A 42-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of drink-driving after failing a roadside breathalyser test.
'He has been taken to a south London police station for questioning. Enquiries continue.'
Ant McPartlin has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving, according to reports.
The 42-year-old TV star is said to have been involved in a collision with two other cars while he was driving his Mini in Richmond, West London, on Sunday afternoon.
He failed a roadside breathalyser test and was arrested.
Police said a child passenger from one of the cars was taken to hospital to be checked as a precaution.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "Police in Richmond were called to Lower Richmond Road, SW14 at 15:59hrs on Sunday, 18 March following reports of a road traffic collision involving three vehicles.
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Ant McPartlin has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving after smashing into two cars.
A girl of three was taken to hospital after the troubled I'm A Celebrity host, 42, lost control of his Mini with his mum inside.
The star, who is worth £60million, failed a roadside breathalyser test and was taken away by cops in the back of a police car for questioning.
The TV host lost control of his black Mini on a roundabout and went head-on into a green Mini containing a couple and their young child.
His car, with a distinctive double red stripe, hit a maroon BMW and ended upon the opposite side of the road.
(Image: WENN.com)
(Image: Daily Mirror)
(Image: Daily Mirror)
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His mum Christine and Labrador Hurley were in the car with him, and all three were said to be unhurt.
The child in the green Mini was taken to hospital and the girl’s mum appeared to have minor injuries, a witness said.
Amy Cassie, 23, who helped Ant's mum get the dog out of the car, said: “Ant seemed furious after crashing the car and was shouting at his mum who was also in the car. She was trying to get him to calm down.
She continued: “The police took him to the back of the police car to remove him from the situation.
“The couple in the green Mini were really shaken up and their child, who was a girl, could only have been about three years old.
“Ant and his mum didn’t seem to have any injuries, but the mum in the green car had split her lip and the side of her face was very red."
Police, paramedics and firefighters attended the scene in Mortlake, South West London, and the busy road was closed.
(Image: WENN.com)
(Image: Daily Mirror)
(Image: Daily Mirror)
(Image: Daily Mirror)
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A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Police in Richmond were called to Lower Richmond Road, SW14 at 15:59hrs on Sunday, 18 March following reports of a road traffic collision involving three vehicles.
“Officers, London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade attended.
“A number of individuals were treated at the scene for minor injuries only. A child passenger from one of the cars has been taken to hospital for a check up as a precaution.
“A 42-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of drink-driving after failing a roadside breathalyser test.
“He has been taken to a south London police station for questioning. Enquiries continue. Roads are expected to reopen shortly.”
(Image: Daily Mirror)
(Image: Daily Mirror)
(Image: Daily Mirror)
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Ant’s mum Christine Woodhall returned to her son’s rented home in Chiswick, West London, yesterday.
A driver was seen collecting Hurley from the gated property at around 8pm.
The chocolate Labrador is thought to have been dropped off with Ant’s estranged wife Lisa Armstrong at their former marital home nearby.
It is not known what effect the arrest will have on ITV show Saturday Night Takeaway which he co-hosts with longtime TV partner Declan Donnelly, 42.
Ant, worth £60million, went into rehab last year after becoming hooked on painkillers.
He told how he became addicted to Tramadol after “botched” knee surgery two years ago left him in agony.
He also admitted drinking heavily and battling depression and anxiety. When he checked into rehab he said he had let “a lot of people down and for that I am truly sorry”.
He added last June: “I want to thank my wife, family and closest friends for helping me through this really difficult time.
“I’ve spoken out because I think it’s important that people ask for help if they’re going through a rough time and get the proper treatment to help their recovery.”
ITV stood by him last year and allowedhim “all the time in the world” to recover.
He was back on screen last autumn for I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here. Ant opened up about his drinking ahead of his stint in the jungle, but insisted he was not an alcoholic.
(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
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He said: “The great thing is I spoke to a lot of the medical team and I’m not an alcoholic. I was just drinking too much to numb the pain.
“It was never crazy — I wouldn’t wake up in the morning and have a drink. But it was the mixing pills with alcohol that was deadly.
“I’ve taken a little break from booze — I’ve done two months and I’ll do a little bit longer. But I’m looking forward to having a pint. God, yes!
“I can’t go to Australia and not have a cold one at the surf club with Dec like we normally do.
“That’s something to look forward to but I have to get well first.”
(Image: Getty Images Europe)
(Image: Getty)
After two months in rehab, Ant claimed that he had “changed” and had even taken up yoga as he recovered from his ordeal.
He added: “I eat well. I’ve lost a stone. I can now do non-weight bearing stuff with my legs, like pilates, weights, lots of yoga, bike and stretching.
“I’m off everything now. Just your basic paracetamol and coping with the pain. I’m still in pain but managing it a lot better.”
But there was fresh heartache as his 11-year marriage hit the rocks and he split from wife Lisa, 41.
His spokesman said at the time: “In response to the recent speculation in the media, Ant is very sad to announce that, after 11 years, he is ending his marriage to Lisa McPartlin."
(Image: PA Archive)
Lisa, make-up boss for BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing, wassaid to have hired law firm Harbottle and Lewis to represent her in the divorce,according to reports.
Ant left rehab last August but never reunited with Lisa. Instead he moved into a £1.6millionrented house.
It was just a few streets away from the couple’s £6million West London mansion so that Ant could still be close to Hurley.
His mum has been staying with him as he adjusts to life after rehab.
Ant said of mum Christine last year :“She’s happy to have me back. People do notice the difference in you when you’re down and depressed. She noticed it. She said she’s really happy to have her old son back.”
Ant and Dec are arguably ITV’s biggest stars, and signed a three-year “golden handcuffs” deal with ITV which was thought to be worth £30million in 2016.
(Image: Joe Newman / SWNS.com)
(Image: Mirrorpix)
The duo were thought to have secured an increase of about 20% over the value of their last three-year deal, reportedly worth £25million.
By the time the current deal runs out in 2019, they will have been on the channel for 21 years.
The pair joined ITV in 1998, presenting Saturday morning shows SM:tv Live along with Cat Deeley, as well as CD:UK.
They met while working on the BBC children’s drama Byker Grove in 1989.
Image copyright Getty Images
TV presenter Ant McPartlin has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving after a collision involving three vehicles in south-west London.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to Lower Richmond Road in Mortlake at 15:59 GMT.
The ambulance service and London Fire Brigade also attended and a number of people were treated for minor injuries.
Police said a 42-year-old man was arrested at the scene after failing a roadside breathalyser test.
He has been taken to a south London police station for questioning.
A child passenger in one of the cars was taken to hospital for a check up as a precaution, the Met added.
Ant McPartlin co-hosts several ITV shows with Declan Donnelly, including Britain's Got Talent, I'm A Celebrity and Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.
