How Ant and Dec’s Ant McPartlin became ‘virtual recluse’ and only left house to film Britain’s Got Talent while hiding addiction agony from wife and best mate Declan Donnelly

ANT McPartlin became a “virtual recluse” as his demons overwhelmed him — hiding his depression from Dec and wife Lisa for months.

A friend said Saturday Night Takeaway and Britain’s Got Talent host Ant, 41, could not face leaving the house after getting hooked on painkiller Tramadol following knee surgery.

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The pal added: “Ant simply wasn’t leaving the house unless it was for absolutely necessary work like BGT or the Baftas or medical treatment on his knee.

“He’d become a virtual recluse stuck in the house because of the total agony he was in, becoming dependent on medication over months and months.

“In the last few weeks it got worse and he wouldn’t even leave the house to go to the shops.”

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Ant’s depression was deepened by his worries over the fact he and Lisa are now in their 40s but have not yet had children — and his desire to keep his suffering secret.

The friend added: “It’s a sad one but his life isn’t in the place he wanted or expected it to be. He and Lisa still want to have kids but of course that is a much harder reality at their age.

“But Ant is a typical bloke who isn’t used to sharing his deep and dark feelings, let alone something as serious as this.

“At the end of the day, he has been super depressed.

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Thanks for all the kind messages for the big fella

Ant and Dec's Declan Donnelly

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“It’s been crippling for him, physically and mentally.

“Of course, Lisa and Dec had been aware he’d been a little bit down because they’d tried to jolly him up whenever they could. But they had absolutely no idea how bad his issues were.

“It’s an example of how it is possible to hide things from the people closest to you, even your wife living under the same roof.”

The Sun on Sunday revealed yesterday how Ant finally confessed to Lisa, 40, and Dec, 41 — fighting back tears as he admitted: “I need help.”

The friend added: “After finally opening up to Dec and Lisa, he realises this is something he has to tackle. He admitted to them ‘I am depressed.’ That was a huge step forward for him.

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I'm relieved he's getting help. We just need him better

Wife Lisa on Ant's decision to enter rehab

“He wishes he had spoken about it before now.

“But the reality is he had been trying to cover up the worst of it from everyone.”

Once recovered, Ant, who is worth £60million, is determined to open up publicly about his battles and addiction issues.

The friend said: “Ant has a huge public profile and he doesn’t intend to shy away from what he’s gone through.

“Ant saw the impact Prince Harry had talking about his depression and he’d like to help others in the future because he knows there’s huge support for him.

“But of course his first priority is sorting himself out.”

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Ant will now be off work until November. But he is determined to be back on screen in time for the start of I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here.

The friend said: “His goal is that he will be in Australia alongside Dec for I’m A Celeb.

“It’s unthinkable for him that he would miss that show.

“But for the next five months Dec is expecting to step up and run their TV empire on his own to give Ant the space he needs.

“He’ll keep working on all the stuff they do behind the scenes and the preparation for Saturday Night Takeaway.”

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Ant, who is worth £60 million, is likely to spend two months in a domestic rehab programme.

A source revealed Ant is currently not allowed visitors — even Lisa or Dec — or access to his phone.

Ant will be tested regularly for alcohol and drugs but he will be allowed to continue smoking.

Much of his time in rehab will be spent in a wheelchair as his injured right knee recovers from surgery on Tuesday.

The crippling pain from his knee has made his life misery for at least six months.

He has told friends that an initial operation two years ago to fix a damaged cartilage in the knee was “botched.” It got worse when the kneecap then slipped.