As Declan Donnelly gears up to host Saturday Night Takeaway without his on- and off-screen pal, Ant McPartlin's recent behaviour highlights how mental health issues can be rumbling in the background for anyone, even if on the surface they seem okay.
It came as a shock to the nation when he revealed he was heading to rehab to seek treatment for alcohol and prescription medication addictions. Here was a bloke who'd been on TV for years, making audiences around the UK cry with laughter, and virtually no one knew he was battling these inner demons.
Two months after checking himself into a rehabilitation clinic, he was out just in time to host I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! with Dec. Everyone was thrilled to see the dynamic duo back on our TV screens and Ant seemed to be back to normal - or so it seemed.
At the weekend he was involved in a car accident with alcohol allegedly involved.
Despite smiling and laughing on I'm A Celeb and Saturday Night Takeaway, the British public got another glimpse into what was going on ine Ant's life when the cameras weren't rolling.
When his issues were first laid bare last year, a fan wrote on Facebook: "It should be a reminder to all of us that, no matter how happy people look, everybody is fighting a battle... we never really know just what our friends, neighbours, colleagues and loved ones are going through.
"Sometimes the people who seem the happiest of all, like Ant, are the ones hiding the deepest pain. Their smiles are a way to cover up everything that they are going through."
The post has been liked and shared more than 182,000 times.
To make things perfectly clear, no one is defending Ant getting behind the wheel of a car while allegedly over the alcohol limit. There's no excusing that type of behaviour, especially considering there was a young child in the vehicle Ant crashed into. Everyone knows both the law and the risks.
But that doesn't mean we can castigate the 42-year-old until the cows come home.
It further highlights the need for people to talk to their mates and family to see if they're struggling with inner demons of their own.
Mental health charity Mind's Head of Information Stephen Buckley tells LADbible: "If you've noticed a change in behaviour in someone you care about or they don't seem themselves, broach the topic carefully.
"It might be easier to talk to them in terms of wellbeing rather than mental health - simply start by asking how they are, making it an everyday conversation.
"If someone you care about is experiencing a mental health problem, the most important thing you can do is talk to them and encourage them to seek appropriate treatment.
"It can take a lot for someone to say 'I need help' so reassure them that it's possible to do something to improve their situation but do so in a caring and sympathetic way."
Viewers will obviously miss Ant this weekend for Saturday Night Takeaway but at least he's taken steps to getting the help he needs to recover.
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Explore more here and don't suffer in silence. Reach out. It's the brave thing to do.
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Topics: U OK M8, Entertainment, TV and Film, Celebrity, Ant McPartlin, Mental Health, Declan Donnelly, UK, Ant and Dec