Holly Willoughby ‘set to replace’ Ant McPartlin on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here

Two others are also being lined up for the role

Holly Willoughby is reportedly being lined up to join Declan Donnelly on the next series of I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here. The news come after it was confirmed Ant McPartlin won't be presenting the show later this year. The Mirror reports that although no formal discussions with Dec about a potential co-host have yet taken place, they will begin next month with Holly top of the queue. "Holly is very close friends with Ant and Dec and both she and Phil have been backing Ant since his troubles," an insider close to the show told the Mirror. "Ant and Dec both love her and I am sure they'd be thrilled if she got the job. They share a management company so Holly already knows what being in the Jungle for weeks entails." Stephen Mulhern and Scarlett Moffatt are also believed to be in contention for the role. "Stephen was one of the talents in the running for the job, but he would never do it," the source added. "Producers feel like whoever replaces Ant needs to be a woman to make a difference to the show, otherwise it would just look like a like-for-like replacement. That would risk it falling short for viewers." Ant will continue to take a break from all television and presenting roles after being involved in a drink driving accident and entering rehab earlier in the year. He was banned from the road for 20 months and fined £86,000 after pleading guilty to driving whilst over twice the legal limit. It will be the first time in 15 years that the popular presenter hasn't been involved in the series. A statement released on Ant's behalf read: "Ant McPartlin today announces he will continue to take a break from all television presenting roles until 2019. Ant will not presentI'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here in November this year. In addition Ant and Dec have made the joint decision not to present a new series of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway in Spring 2019. "Production and filming for a Saturday Night Takeaway series in February would normally have already started, and continue throughout 2018 and early 2019. "Neither Ant & Dec nor ITV wanted to compromise the quality of the show and therefore felt it was better to rest the series next year. "They will instead bring the show back in 2020, bigger and better than ever."