Inside Ant and Dec’s ‘healed’ relationship as they ‘reset power balance’

This time two years ago, Holly Willoughby was standing in Ant McPartlin's place on I'm A Celebrity as he worked on his recovery.

He and best friend Declan Donnelly faced one of the darkest chapters of their lives when Ant pleaded guilty to drink driving in March 2018 and entered rehab for a second time.

He had been treated as an in-patient for an addiction to prescription painkillers the year before, and after his conviction, Ant bowed out of work for the rest of the year while Dec continued with Saturday Night Takeaway and I'm A Celebrity.

Dec was so distraught over the 'destabilising' events that he later revealed he'd needed counselling.

Furious at Ant but also gravely concerned about his welfare, Dec told the Guardian: "I wanted to punch him and hug him at the same time – and I didn’t know which one I wanted to do first.”

Both were left considering if they had any future as a double act but realised that working together was the thing that made them the happiest.

And their joy has been clear through this series of I'm A Celebrity, with the duo back in perfect sync.

And body language expert Judi James reveals to The Mirror the subtle signs that prove their friendship is truly mended...

"No matter who walks away as king or queen of the castle tonight, the real, undisputed winners of this series of I’m A Celeb just have to be Ant and Dec.

"This series fans really got to settle back on their recliners and enjoy the fun for the first time rather than cheering the guys on in a show of anxious, nail-biting support.

"Our enjoyment depends on the guys being as finely-tuned as trapeze artists and their success depends on making a complex ritual of ad-libs and banter look easy, which it isn’t.

"This really was the series where they boys really did make it all look easy again, so much so that we were able to forget their recent challenges as both friends and as professional partners.

"Ant and Dec are back to their signature set of even power-balance displays. When Ant tumbled off our screens and onto the front pages it was Dec who raised his levels of power and experience to bridge the gap.

"And when Ant returned there were hints that Dec was still the more dominant one while Ant displayed subtle signals of both relief and anxiety.

"Their performance healed in front of our eyes and any hairline fractures now seem to be invisible to the naked eye.

"Their mirroring is intense again and their timing immaculate. They dress and often stand in mirrored poses and this looks like a subliminal trait rather than a conscious one.

"What creates the body language genius though is how they can switch states in a way that not many double-acts can. One minute they will be posing like peas in a pod and they next they have flipped into straight-man-funny-man mode. They even swap these roles, taking it in turns to play the deadpan or the adult to the child.

"Their cues and their tie-signs provide a constant silent communication between them now, and they listen with those hilarious non-verbal responses again, like wide-eyed stares to the camera or raised brows to share the joke with us at home.

"Their pace seemed to be quicker this series and they extended their ad-lib scenes in a way that must signal restored confidence. And they were moving faster again, too.

"You can see they have both relaxed again now and are genuinely enjoying their shared gags and quick-fire in-jokes again.

"Part of the fun was the feeling that we were eavesdropping on two close friends having hilarious, naughty fun together and winding one another up, and that is very much where Ant and Dec seem to be back to."

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Ant McPartlinDeclan DonnellyI'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here