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'HE COULD HAVE WIPED US OUT'
Ant McPartlin drove like a maniac, says ‘drink drive’ smash dad
A DAD whose car was wrecked in Ant McPartlin’s crash claimed yesterday: “He was driving like a maniac — he could have wiped out my family.”
Restaurant boss Faheem Vanoo, had been heading to work with his chef wife Shilpa, four-year-old daughter Amaira and two colleagues.
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Faheem, 41, said: “His Mini came flying around a sharp corner on the wrong side of the road trying to overtake a blue car.
“I hardly had time to react and turned in towards the kerb to avoid a head-on collision.
“I’m convinced that split-second turn of the wheel saved us all from being crippled or killed. I reckon he was doing 50 or 60mph.
“An instant before impact, Shilpa shouted ‘What the hell is this guy doing?’ then there was enormous bang which jolted us around the car.
What we know so far…
- Cops released Ant on bail pending blood test results and further inquiries into Sunday’s three-car smash
- He then held talks over his career with advisers at his West London home
- Pals said they fear for his state of mind and admitted he had a huge problem with alcohol
- The dad of the family whose car Ant hit said: “He could’ve killed us all”
- Saturday Night Takeaway’s final two episodes are expected to go ahead without Ant
- Ant will not take part in Britain's Got Talent or I'm A Celebrity
- He is set to take a break from TV and head back to rehab
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“Fortunately I was only doing 20mph, we were all wearing seatbelts and my little girl was strapped into a child seat. But it was still a big impact.
“I don’t care whether he’s a millionaire and I don’t care whether he’s a famous TV star — he could have put my daughter in a wheelchair.”
Shaken Amaira was assessed in an ambulance at the scene but did not require hospital treatment.
Saturday Night Takeaway favourite Ant, 42, had been travelling with his mum Christine, 61, after walking their two dogs.
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His black John Cooper special edition Mini collided with the family’s green Mini Cooper and skidded to a halt into a red BMW X5.
The driver’s side front wheel of Ant’s car was torn off in the smash and jammed into the family’s motor.
The family staggered from the wreckage to find the Geordie star slumped in silence over his steering wheel — surrounded by airbags which had gone off on impact.
The two dogs were whimpering and shivering in shock after being flung across his car.
CCTV captures Ant McPartlin driving moments before car crash and arrest on suspicion of drink-driving
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Shilpa, 36 — a top chef who has worked with restaurateur Raymond Blanc — tried to confront Ant.
The mum, from Brentford, West London, said: “I was so angry with him I lost my cool and tried to run up to him and smash his face — I had to be held back.
“I had been sitting in the back seat and didn’t realise it then but my face had hit a headrest and my lip was bleeding.
“After I calmed down someone asked him if he was ok but he never said a word to us and never apologised.
“His mum just said ‘we’re ok’ and started getting their dogs out of the car.
“The horn of his car was blaring and my little girl was crying in shock. It was a terrible, chaotic scene.
“It was a little while later before I realised it was Ant.”
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The family were on their way to an evening shift at Faheem’s restaurant Pure Indian in Fulham, South West London.
Assistant chef Sufyan Raza, 34, and waitress Melania Valeri, 25, suffered bruising in the crash on Lower Richmond Road, South West London at 3.50pm on Sunday.
Witnesses said Ant — who was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving — appeared unsteady on his feet and became argumentative as police handcuffed him and tried to usher him into a patrol car.
Sufyan alleged: “It took quite a few of them to get him into their police car and he was swearing at them and shouting, “don’t you know who I am?”
“His hands were cuffed in front of him and I saw him banging his fists on the windows.
CCTV captures Ant McPartlin driving moments before car crash and arrest on suspicion of drink-driving
Timeline: How Ant's shame unfolded
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“He was shouting at them and they were telling him to shut up”
Melania said: “I didn’t recognise the friendly face we see on TV when I saw him after the crash.
“He was just this scruffy little guy with a beard who looked the worse for wear.”
A relative yesterday revealed Ant was “devastated” that a child was involved in the smash.
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They said of Ant and Christine: “They've got bruises, they are sore and in shock.”
The dogs — including Ant’s beloved chocolate labrador Hurley — were taken to a vet for a check-up and given the all-clear.
Ant, who booked himself into rehab in the summer for drink and prescription drug addictions, was allowed to return to his home in nearby Chiswick after being quizzed by police.
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Following his rehab stint, Ant announced he was divorcing wife Lisa, 41, after 11 years of marriage — which legal experts say could cost him £30million.
Christine has been staying at Ant’s home since the couple split.
Another relative said yesterday: “We are going through a lot at the minute.”
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