Declan Donnelly admits there’s ‘distance’ in the friendship following controversial move by Ant McPartlin

‘We’re further away from each other than we’ve ever been’

Ant and Dec aren’t as close as they used to be, Declan Donnelly admitted in the first episode of the boys’ new podcast this week.

However, he’s come up with a cunning plan to close the divide and see a lot more of his bestie…

The pair have been buddies and presenting partners for decades (Credit: Splash News)

Declan Donnelly on missing his buddy Ant

Earlier this week, Ant and Dec dropped the first episode of their new podcast, Hanging Out With Ant & Dec.

And Dec revealed that his motivation for launching the podcast was simply to spend more time with his best pal. He explained that, since both became fathers, life has shifted. So too has Ant, who sold up and moved from his North London home after a row with his neighbours.

This means that Ant and Dec have never been further apart, geographically speaking, that is…

Ant and Dec are back with new Limitless Win this weekend (Credit: ITV)

Ant and Dec don’t see each other ‘as much as they used to’

Speaking during the episode, the Limitless Win hosts explained that life is a lot busier than it used to be after they both welcomed children.

Dec is dad to daughter Isla, seven, and son Jack, three, with wife Ali Astall. Ant, meanwhile, is dad to 20-month-old son Wilder with wife Anne-Marie Corbett. He also co-parents her teenage daughters from a previous relationship, Poppy and Daisy.

Dec, 50, explained: “We’re now dads to very small children. The little ones especially take up a lot of time and effort and energy. I love them dearly, but we don’t hang out as much as we used to.”

He then referenced Ant’s move out of the area. It followed a row with neighbours over Ant and Anne-Marie’s home improvement plans, which included felling a number of protected trees.

Dec continued: “Ant’s moved house now, geographically we’re further away from each other than we’ve ever been. So we don’t get the chance to hang out as much and talk rubbish anymore so we decided to come up with the idea of doing a podcast to sit together and talk some rubbish and let you join in too.”

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A post shared by Ant & Dec (@antanddec)

Podcast backlash

The boys have faced backlash over the new project, though.

The first advert they released for the podcast featured the presenters pegged to a washing line. It was quickly called “triggering” on social media for evoking what many considered to be suicide-related imagery by showing the stars’ feet dangling in the air.

The pair apologised for causing offence and removed the advert, before going for a more intimate, DIY-style promo, posting a video on Instagram that gave viewers a tour of their new podcast studios.