Ant McPartlin wishes Dec and Holly Willoughby "good luck" with I'm A Celebrity 2018

Ant McPartlin is absent from the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here jungle for the first time since 2002 but he's throwing all of his support behind long-term co-host Declan Donnelly and his temporary replacement, Holly Willoughby.

Ant, who has chosen to extend his leave of absence from TV, sent the pair his best wishes ahead of the first live broadcast.

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"All the very best of luck to the little fella and @hollywills for the show tonight," he wrote on Twitter. "Lots of love from the big fella!!"

Dec and Holly have been busy prepping for the new series, which sees a whole host of new famous faces - including Doctor Who and Torchwood star John Barrowman, football manager Harry Redknapp, X Factor singer Fleur East, Coronation Street star Sair Khan and Chaser Ann Hegerty - taking on Bushtucker Trails and living off rice and beans in the wilds of Australia.

I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! launches Sunday night at 9pm on ITV