Ant McPartlin 'to be protective dad' as he is set to welcome first baby with wife Anne-Marie
Ant McPartlin looked "every inch the first-time dad" as he stepped out with his pregnant wife last week, just weeks ahead of becoming a father.
The Britain's Got Talent host, 48, was seen holding hands with his wife Anne-Marie as they stepped out for lunch at The River Cafe in London. Pregnant Anne-Marie, 46, was seen cradling her growing baby bump during the outing with her husband and Jamie Redknapp and his wife Frida Andersson.
Anne-Marie is already a mother to two children from her first marriage, but her third child will mark Ant becoming a father for the first time. Ahead of the huge change to his lifestyle, the presenter and his long-time co-host Declan Donnelly recently called time on their ITV show Saturday Night Takeaway in order to spend more time with their respective families.
According to body language expert Judi James, pregnant Anne-Marie is the one taking lead during the final stages of her pregnancy, with Ant displaying "some levels of anxiety" as he prepares to become a dad.
Analysing the snaps of Ant and Anne-Marie enjoying lunch with Jamie and Friday, Judi told the Mirror: "Anne-Marie looks so relaxed and happy in these poses, smiling broadly as she cradles her bump with one hand, suggesting high levels of delight at her pregnancy but also the levels of calm that you might expect from someone who has given birth twice before."
"Ant looks every inch the first-time dad here though. Walking slightly ahead of Anne-Marie he holds her hand but not in the kind of mutual clasp that is the usual signal of bonding and affection. Ant just has hold of Anne-Marie's fingers here and he has raised her hand up as though very carefully and protectively towing along a consignment of Ming Vases," reports the Mirror.
The body language expert added: "His facial expression suggests some levels of anxiety although when he turns to look down at the bump the grin that appears suggests not only pride and excitement but he also seems to be communicating with the baby already here."
In a heartfelt chat earlier this year, just before the final series of Saturday Night Takeaway hit our screens, Ant opened up about why he and Dec decided to put their beloved ITV show on hold. "On a more personal level, part of the reason we're pausing Takeaway is we need a break ourselves, and we need to spend some time with our family," the TV star confessed.
Speaking to Fault magazine back in February, he shared: "We've both got children that we need to spend time with for a little bit.
"We need time to think and, and time to step back and look at the bigger picture and just see where we are now."
Ant, who welcomed two stepchildren after marrying Anne-Marie, sealed the deal with his ex-PA in a fairytale wedding back in 2021.
In 2018, he split with former wife and makeup artist Lisa Armstrong.
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