Ant McPartlin told his friend Declan Donnelly that there is one thing “my wife can never find out” as he told an amusing story where a “genuine mistake” hit him in the pocket
Robin Cottle Assistant Editor Trendswatch
13:18, 29 Jan 2026
Ant McPartlin says his wife Anne-Marie Corbett “can never find out”(Image: Getty Images)
TV legend Ant McPartlin joked “my wife can never find out” as he made a candid admission about his online shopping habits.
He recalled a hilarious anecdote on the new podcast he hosts with his great pal Declan Donnelly when he made a “genuine mistake’ while buying some new pairs of “flashy underpants”.
Ant told his friend and the listeners how the situation arose after he and wife Anne-Marie Corbett moved house and he decided to buy some new underwear to replace some he had owned for a decade. It comes after Ant admitted “I have to curb it” as he “keeps getting told off at home” over one particular habit.
Speaking on their Hanging Out podcast, he said: “I’ve held on to them (his underwear) for too long right. Some were threadbare. I thought I’m just going to get rid of them and get some brand new stuff. Brand new house, brand new drawers. New year, new me, new underpants.
“So I ordered some but as I was clicking on what to buy, I thought I was buying one but a pack of three came.”
Ant McPartlin (left) recounted the hilarious tale to his friend Declan Donnelly(Image: PA)
Ant revealed that instead of ordering six pairs of the “flashy” product, he had actually ordered 18 by mistake after he bought them with Apple Pay without even looking.
He continued: “I can’t even tell you the price. It seems flashy, but it was a genuine mistake.
“No one should know, my wife can never find out. So as long as I don’t mention it on the podcast or anything, she’ll never know.”
Ant went on to whisper the cost of his new purchase to Dec, leaving his co-star in stitches.
Despite this Ant defended the underpants, calling them the “best” he has ever worn in his life. He added: “I can stretch, I can bend, I can do anything.”
Dec joked that the podcast producers “could all probably go to HR” as the underwear conversation progressed.
Meanwhile, Ant and Dec have revealed that they have only ever had “one big argument” during their 37-year friendship and working relationship – and it ended with Dec storming off.
Anne-Marie Corbett and Ant McPartlin(Image: PA)
The pair first met as child actors on Newcastle-based show Byker Grove in 1989. They have since become one of the country’s biggest double acts with first their fledgling music career and then as hosts of some of the nation’s biggest TV shows including I’m A Celebrity and Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.
Ant and Dec said their only major clash over a board game of ITV show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Speaking on their podcast, the duo admitted that they haven’t played it since.
“We had an argument over Who Wants to be a Millionaire board game,” Ant said, describing their only big row. “Dec packed up the board game and went home – like a child.”
Dec, 50, defiantly added: “It was my board game so I took it home because you were a d**k.” While Ant, 50, protested that he wasn’t, Dec continued: “You were so vindictive as a game show host.”