Update: TV presenter Ant McPartlin 'very sorry' after pleading guilty to drink-driving
TV presenter Ant McPartlin has said he was "ashamed and mortified" after crashing his car while drink-driving with his mother in the passenger seat.
The 42-year-old was banned from driving for 20 months and fined £86,000 after pleading guilty to driving while more than twice the legal limit.
McPartlin's barrister Liam Walker said his client had been seeking help for "alcohol and emotional issues" at the time of the crash, adding that his mother was in the car with him.
He told the district judge the incident was down to "a brief relapse unbeknownst to his passenger".
"Anthony McPartlin is sorry and is doing everything he can to ensure this never happens again," Mr Walker said.
"He hopes that in time he can make himself better and that he might be forgiven by all of the many people he knows and he feels he has let down terribly."
The court heard that in a statement to police McPartlin said: "I am very sorry I did this. I am ashamed and mortified that this happened.
"I accept full culpability for this and wish to apologise to all those concerned."
Ant McPartlin: I’m truly sorry for what happened pic.twitter.com/3FSuVS19R1
— Channel 5 News (@5_News) April 16, 2018
TV presenter Ant McPartlin has been given a 20-month driving ban and fined £86,000 after pleading guilty at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court to drink driving.
He was charged with drink-driving after allegedly being involved in a collision in Richmond, west London, on March 18th and pleaded guilty earlier today.
The 42-year-old, wearing a black suit and white shirt, faced a scrum of photographers and reporters as he walked up the steps at the main entrance to the court building in south-west London, which was guarded by seven police officers.
Mr McPartlin stood in the glass dock in court and spoke to confirm his name, date of birth, address and nationality before pleading guilty to a single charge of drink-driving.
The charge states he had 75 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - the legal limit is 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath.
McPartlin, who lives in Chiswick, west London, was arrested at around 4pm on March 18 after a failing a roadside breathalyser test following a collision between the Mini he was driving and two other cars.
The Metropolitan Police previously confirmed that a number of individuals were treated at the scene for minor injuries, and a child passenger from one of the cars was taken to hospital to be checked as a precaution.
After he was charged, ITV announced the Saturday Night Takeaway host would step back from his TV commitments, with co-presenter Declan Donnelly hosting the final two episodes of the show on his own.
McPartlin appeared alongside Donnelly on TV screens over the weekend as Britain's Got Talent aired its pre-recorded audition shows.
But ITV confirmed Donnelly will be hosting the live shows without his TV partner of almost 30 years.
