Fans were quick to point out a few things they found concerning.
Britain’s Got Talent returned to our screens last night, with the show’s standout act being Marc Spelmann, a magician from north London.
The show was the first time Ant and his co-presenter Dec have been seen on screen together since McPartlin’s arrest for drink driving last month.
Although on the whole fans were happy to see the duo reunited, a few viewers pointed out that the presenter didn’t seem himself on last night’s show – which was filmed just weeks before the star’s arrest.
During the first episode, the 42-year-old was seen breaking down in tears after watching Spelmann’s performance, in which the magician opened up about his wife’s struggle with IVF and battle with cancer while pregnant.
Fans also pointed out on social media that throughout the first episode Ant appeared to be “withdrawn” and “worn out”.
I really feel for Ant because you can see how sad he looks in his face truly breaks my heart seeing him like this 😭💔 #BGT
— Cerys Emily ♡ (@Cerys_Emily_x) April 14, 2018
Can’t help but notice that Ant doesn’t look himself on #bgt 😳 hope he is back to himself soon & battles his demons. 🙏🏻@antanddec
— Fiona Aine Barrett (@Fi_Barrett) April 14, 2018
Considering this was filmed months ago Ant doesn’t look like his happy self at all! #BGT #BritainsGotTalent
— Sarah Chandler (@SarahC1305) April 14, 2018
https://twitter.com/TomPhillips1990/status/985246047101489153
With hindsight, Ant seems withdrawn and doesn’t look well in this show.
I hope he’s watching and is on the road to recovery. We miss you @antanddec #BritainsGotTalent #BGT
— Becky Tallentire (@Bluestocking63) April 14, 2018
Fans also claimed that scenes featuring Ant McPartlin were cut from the show, with viewers on Twitter accusing the show’s producers of “editing out” Ant McPartlin “as much as possible”.
The criticism was particularly focused on the apparent removal of the Geordie duo’s usual interviews with contestants.
Ant will appear throughout the auditions, which run to the end of May. However, he will likely be absent from the full week of live shows, with Dec fronting the show alone.
