Declan Donnelly says he refused to host I'm A Celebrity with a male presenter in Anthony McPartlin’s absence

McPartlin took a break from filming after his drink-driving arrest in 2018

Declan Donnelly has said there was “no way” he would host the 2018 series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! with another male presenter.

Donnelly’s long-time collaborator, Anthony McPartlin, took a break from his television commitments two years ago in the wake of his arrest for drink-driving, meaning a new co-host needed to be drafted in as his temporary replacement.

Writing in the pair’s new book Once Upon A Tyne, Donnelly said: “I didn't want it to appear that another guy was stepping in to take Ant's place because they weren't and because no one ever could.”

On Holly Willoughby, who was eventually selected as McPartlin’s replacement, Donnelly said: “Ant and I are both really good mates with Holly and she is a brilliant and accomplished presenter, but I had no real idea how she worked, nor she me, and we knew that for the viewers there was a curiosity factor to it.”

He said she was “top of my list to host alongside me”.

Holly Willoughby on 'I'm a Celebrity' (PA)

Also in the memoir, which is out now, McPartlin and Donnelly revealed that they had a drunken punch-up just hours before appearing live on breakfast television.

The duo will soon return to ITV screens with the new season of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

Unlike previous seasons of the show, which have been filmed in the Australian outback, 2020’s episodes will be filmed in a castle in Wales due to the coronavirus pandemic.