Ant McPartlin has broken his silence after revealing he’d welcomed his first child with his wife Anne-Marie.
The presenter, 48, took to X to thank fans for their ‘kind messages’ after announcing the birth of his son Wilder on Tuesday.
In his post, Ant also addressed fans’ concerns that he’d ‘snubbed’ his beloved dog Hurley in a new tattoo paying tribute to his family, after the dog’s name appeared to be absent from the design.
Ant wrote: ‘Hey all, I just wanted to say thank You so much for the kind messages of love and well wishes for our baby Wilder. He’s doing great.
‘Glad you loved the tattoo as well. For all you dog lovers who asked why my beloved Hurley wasn’t on the family tree..he was!! He was just covered by our newborn. All my love, gratitude and heartfelt thanks A.’

Ant McPartlin has broken his silence after revealing he’d welcomed his first child with his wife Anne-Marie (pictured in 2021)

The presenter took to X to thank fans for their ‘kind messages’ after announcing the birth of his son Wilder on Tuesday

In his post, Ant also addressed fans’ concerns that he’d ‘snubbed’ his beloved dog Hurley in a new tattoo paying tribute to his family
Ant then shared a snap showing the full tattoo on his shoulder, with Hurley’s name visible on the tree design.
The tattoo could be seen on Ant’s shoulder in an Instagram post where Ant revealed he’d welcomed a son named Wilder Patrick with wife Anne-Marie.
The Britain’s Got Talent star shares his dog Hurley with ex-wife Lisa Armstrong.
Ant was previously in a relationship with makeup artist Lisa, who he divorced from in 2018 after 11 years of marriage. Ant and Anne-Marie tied the knot in 2021.
During their divorce battle, Ant is said to have told lawyers: ‘She can have anything she wants – except the dog.’
The former couple reportedly agreed to take it in turns to look after Hurley.
The arrangement led to the TV presenter’s chauffeur ferrying the dog between the two of them so they did not have to see each other.
It was reported in February this year that Lisa wanted her pet to live with her full time.

Ant then shared a snap showing the full tattoo on his shoulder, with Hurley’s name visible on the tree design
She is said to have argued that it was only fair as Ant also had two maltipoo dogs – Maltese and poodle crossbreeds – called Milo and Bumble.
Ant shared a Instagram snap sweetly cradling his baby boy, revealing he’d been born earlier that day on Tuesday, writing: ‘Born, 14/05/24 at 8.54am. Baby is beautiful, Mummy’s a legend, Sisters are over the moon. Dad’s a mess!’
After revealing he has become a dad Ant was soon flooded with messages from pals including Jamie Redknapp, Davina McCall and Alesha Dixon, who were delighted to see the star finally become a father, after he publicly discussed his desire to be a parent.
Hours after his wife gave birth, the presenter took to Instagram to share his joy that they were parents, in what marks his second chance of happiness after a rocky decade which saw the end of his first marriage and a drink-drive scandal.

Ant and his ex-wife Lisa Armstrong were involved in a bitter custody battle over their pet dog Hurley following their split in 2018

The former couple reportedly agreed to take it in turns to look after Hurley (Ant is pictured with the dog in 2017)
Ant has been candid in the past about his desire to have children and he publicly spoke about how he had been trying for a baby with ex-wife Lisa.
When the news of Anne-Marie’s pregnancy was revealed, it was claimed that Ant was over the moon because he didn’t think fatherhood was on the cards for him.
A source told The Sun at time: ‘This is the news everyone wanted. Ant and Anne- Marie are beyond delighted. It’s no secret that Ant has always wanted children, but that it may never happen for him was something he had, sadly, come to terms with.
‘When they found out last year, they were absolutely delighted, but obviously kept the news quiet for as long as possible.
‘To be having a child two years short of his 50th birthday, with the love of his life, is the stuff of dreams for Ant.

Hurley was adopted by the former couple in 2013 after they struggled to conceive a child together
‘He’s already a wonderful, doting father to Anne-Marie’s kids, and together they’re going to be brilliant parents to this latest addition to the family.’
In February, Ant broke his silence on becoming a father for the first time in a candid interview as he spoke about taking a break from hosting Saturday Night Takeaway.
Ant opened up about the real reasons for the show’s pause in an interview with Fault Magazine as he publicly addressed his wife’s pregnancy for the first timeHe said: ‘We [he and Declan Donnelly] have 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.’