Ant McPartlin, the 50-year-old television presenter, has shared his amusement over a recent shirtless photograph taken during a beach outing in Portugal. The image created an optical illusion, making it appear as though McPartlin had a protruding stomach.
McPartlin, who is vacationing with his wife Anne-Marie and their family, discussed the incident on the latest episode of the "Hanging Out With Ant and Dec" podcast. He explained that a friend, Andy Collins, who is described as a "larger gentleman," was standing next to him in the photo. Due to their positioning, Collins's midsection appeared to be McPartlin's, a detail that initially caused McPartlin a moment of alarm before he realized the illusion.
"I feel like taking that shot and putting it on my social going 'not my belly guys'," McPartlin joked on the podcast. He added that while such a photo might have distressed him in his younger years, at 50, he has a more relaxed attitude about his appearance.
McPartlin also recounted a separate, more embarrassing holiday experience involving a Thai massage parlor. He explained that a friend had warned him about the masseuses entering rooms quickly. While preparing for a massage in one room, with his wife in an adjacent one, McPartlin removed his clothes. In his haste to put on paper underwear, he accidentally knocked them off the bed, leaving him naked. At that moment, the masseuse entered the room.
"She can see everything and we just stare at each other for a bit too long. I went 'not yet!'" McPartlin told his podcast co-host Declan Donnelly. He admitted that he did return to the establishment, but he and the masseuse struggled to make eye contact afterwards.
McPartlin married Anne-Marie Corbett in 2021. The couple shares a two-year-old son, Wilder, and Anne-Marie has two teenage daughters, Poppy and Daisy, from a previous marriage. Their current lifestyle includes walking their dogs, attending sporting events, and taking holidays. McPartlin has credited his wife as his "rock and lifesaver," particularly during his recovery from alcohol and prescription painkiller addiction. He has stated he is now the "happiest he's ever been" due to their "wholesome life."