Ant McPartlin reveals battle with depression, drink and drugs nearly 'killed' him
A battle with depression, alcohol and drug abuse nearly "killed" Ant McPartlin, the TV star has revealed.
Ant, one half of famous duo Ant and Dec, was forced into rehab in June following a two-year addition to super-strength painkillers he had used to combat knee surgery.
The 41-year-old has now revealed the mixing of pills and drink nearly "killed" him according to his doctor.
Ant disclosed the details of his ordeal during an interview with The Sun on Sunday - the first such sit-down since leaving rehab.
He also admitted that at one stage he was hiding pills in order to avoid detection before wife Lisa and TV co-star Declan Donnelly convinced him to follow the road to recovery.
"I was at the point where anything - prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs - I would take," Ant told the newspaper.
"And take them with alcohol, which is ridiculous. The doctors told me, 'You could have killed yourself.'"
The entertainer explained that his wife was forced to call an ambulance after he binged on tramadol, morphine and alcohol while recovering from a second knee operation.
He said: "I said, 'You're going to have to call me an ambulance. I'm in a bad way'.
"I was insane. It sends you crazy. It was to the point of hearing things, seeing things in the garden and still the pain was getting worse."
"I was depressed through the whole thing because I was in pain and immobile."
Following two months of rehab, the Britain's Got Talent presenter is clean of all drugs other than paracetamol for the first time since 2014.
The issue came to a head earlier this year during Britain's Got Talent when he delayed a second knee operation to continue working on the ITV show.
After undergoing surgery following the show's final, McPartlin said he was "just done", adding: "it was horrendous".
He added: "Dec came around and he kind of knew it was at the point where I needed help.
"Once I admitted I was in a bad way, they then helped get a team together because obviously I wasn't in a fit state to do it myself.
"We had an hour's conversation then I packed my bag and I went.
"I'm lucky because I have the means to do that. But there are a lot of people who don't. So I'm very grateful."