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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To feel a bit sorry for Dec

142 replies

Bobbiepin · 19/03/2018 21:50

I've not read a huge amount about the Ant Mcpartlin situation but it's clear things are going down the pooper pretty quick.

With all of this going on, does anyone else feel a bit sorry for Dec? His mate has royally fucked up and therefore he probably will find it difficult to find work. They've been a double act since the 80s so is anyone likely to hire Dec on his own?

It's like the Lost Prophets after it was found out that Watkins was a paedophile. I'm sure Dec's hardly strapped for cash but still.

OP posts:
GabsAlot · 20/03/2018 00:26

ffs a paedophil comparison really?

the man hasnt even been charged yet and yet hes hun drawn quartered

whywhywhywhywhyyy · 20/03/2018 00:34

Dec is most likely fuming. I would be.

ItsAllABitStrangeReally · 20/03/2018 00:34

There was a bloke sheltering under the guttering of the food bank / community kitchen / community laundry as he waited for it to open earlier (( was raining heavily )) I reserve my daily qouta of sympathy for him.

SheGotBetteDavisEyes · 20/03/2018 00:38

I'm not worried about either of them to be honest. As much as I hope he sorts himself out, Ant deserves to meet the consequences of his actions and Dec will hardly struggle to find work. It might be different, but with a CV like his, he's not exactly going to be found opening the local Spar.

I'm slightly horrified that his mother got into the car with him. What was she thinking?

user764329056 · 20/03/2018 00:41

Can’t feel any sympathy to be honest, they’re both multi millionaires, could retire tomorrow and live very happily on what they have, if one of them was poverty stricken I could empathise more

Puffycat · 20/03/2018 00:41

I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it tbh. They’ve both done pretty well with zero talent, I reckon if their careers ended tomorrow they would still shop in Waitrose😉

opionated · 20/03/2018 00:44

he wont find it difficult to work whether or not its with ant many shows only have 1 presenter

leccybill · 20/03/2018 00:54

I hope this is his rock bottom and he can recognise and begin the road to recovery.

KittyWindbag · 20/03/2018 01:17

I get your point but I think he is so rich that he will always be all right.

AjasLipstick · 20/03/2018 01:26

I think they're both charmless and have always wondered why they've been given these incredible careers.

lostincumbria · 20/03/2018 07:54

Enough of this "no talent" crap. They host some of the most technically difficult love tv shows. They are incredibly talented, hence their huge pay packets. The perception may come from from how easy they make it look. You might not like them, that's fine, but to call them talentless is only a reflection on you.

IanRushesInadequateFlushes · 20/03/2018 07:59

I do feel a bit sorry for Dec - but at the same time he would never have been famous as a solo entertainer. As it is, their friendship and tv personas have made him many millions. Fat sorrow, I guess!

I feel sorry for ant in his personal life. Infertility must have been absolute hell and he was under a lot of pressure. But I'm not worried about his future. If he never works another day, he'll still live a life most of us could never dream of!

SharronNeedles · 20/03/2018 08:11

Dec can't win though.
If he wants to go on and have a solo career, he'll be torn apart for not being loyal or turning his back on Ant. If he sticks by Ant, he'll be seen as being too forgiving or 'grooming' Ant to get back on the telly before he's ready. If he quietly retires people will say he only did it for the money or didn't have enough talent to go it alone.

I'm sure there are some people on here who, if they lost their jobs tomorrow, would be able to take early retirement and live off their savings. That does not mean it's fair. Dec has worked hard for his name and reputation, that's all potentially been taken away from him through no fault of his own.

Rather than getting the ending to his career that he deserved, his career has (probably) ended in scandal too. I think that is really sad.

SharronNeedles · 20/03/2018 08:17

Reading some of the things on here, it seems people believe that money = happiness. Nice to see where some of your priorities lie.

ElBandito · 20/03/2018 08:24

I feel more sorry about people who thought they had a nice holiday coming and a place on the plane than I do for Ant and/or Dec.

BattleaxeGalactica · 20/03/2018 08:30

Feel sorry for someone who got lucky back in the mists of time and rode the gravy train all the way to the bank?

Nah.

Do I think it's the end of Dec's career?

Nah. Not in the short to medium anyway. They're on a £30m deal with ITV that's only halfway through. Dec will have his nose put to the grindstone with anyone who's available to plug the gaps. Expect to see the grinning little pug a-plenty...

Fluffyears · 20/03/2018 08:46

God, I hope we’ve seen the end of them. Acting like 12 year olds and being nasty under the guise of ‘bants’ I hope never to lay eyes on them again I cannot stand them and yes I do think they are talentless.

A drunk driver should be locked up, in the early 80’s in our area an idiot got in a car drunk and crashed into a small minibus carrying 7 year olds to swimming. Two were killed, some had life changing injuries and the driver who was in her twenties was paralysed. This is the outcome when you get behind the wheel after a few drinks. He hit the van at 70mph is a 30 zone.

Theresasmayshoes11 · 20/03/2018 08:48

The peadophile comparison Is preposterous.

Hoping the best outcome for all concerned. . Isn’t that what all decent human beings would wish?

Dipitydoda · 20/03/2018 08:53

Yes I feel sorry for Dec. His best friend is going through hell, he probably feels helpless, wanting to make it all ok but not knowing how to help. His future is uncertain and out of his control but he knows that through no fault of his own life plans are now in doubt. The amount of money in his bank won’t be helping with these feelings, yes he won’t starve but he is still having to cope with all these things. To suggest otherwise is extremely shallow

Rachie1973 · 20/03/2018 08:59

I have no sympathy for a drink driver, I can't, it's appalling and potentially lethal behaviour.

Removing money, yes I feel for Dec, his career is being headbutted when he's not done anything wrong to be fair.

MotherOfWurzel · 20/03/2018 09:04

I also feel sorry for him. It's not even about further earnings though. For years they've been hailed as this generation's Morecambe and Wise. Incredibly successful and going from strength to strength. However, forever more their's will be the fall from grace story.

Amortentia · 20/03/2018 09:07

I’ve not got much sympathy tbh, but if the show is cancelled I hope the production team don’t lose out and still get paid.

BarryTheKestrel · 20/03/2018 09:07

I agree OP. Whilst Dec has money, that's no exchange for a career you've worked most of your life for. Ant has effectively thrown away both of their careers with his behaviour. Dec did not choose this, I'm sure he would love to continue working until old age however unless he can sell himself as a separate entity after a lifetime of being a duo, it's unlikely to happen for him now. Being forced into retirement from a job you love must be awful.

I can also understand your comparison to Lost Prophets. Yes the crimes are a million miles apart but the point is, as part of a duo or a group, one person engages in criminal activity, the rest of the groups careers are fucked and they won't be touched by a barge pole through no fault of their own.

Unforgiving2 · 20/03/2018 09:19

It's sad to see so many people can't feel sympathetic because they have money.... There is more to life than just that.

I feel sorry for Dec, this is his best friend and it must have been hard supporting Ant through this, he must have been constantly on edge that something like this would happen. God knows what he has put up with from Ant, his wife left so I imagine he hasn't been the easiest to be around.

If it was all about the money, Dec would have retired by now. He hasn't so it is obviously more than that to him and now he has lost it all through no fault of his own.

He is at a crossroads, he could wait for Ant - but there is a chance Ant will never come back from this career wise or that Ant will even want to, but if he goes alone then he risks hurting Ant further and it's the unknown and might not work. It must be a difficult decision.

I don't reserve sympathy only for people less well off than me, neither is money the easy fix, Ant is case in point. Sad others feel like that. I also don't have a quota of sympathy - I can feel for the homeless, for those in tragic circumstances, for the victims of the car crash and for the wealthy guy who just watched his best mate throw both their careers away.

morningconstitutional2017 · 20/03/2018 09:23

I feel sorry for many people who make mistakes in the public eye as it's all over the papers. A career break would maybe do the pair of them a world of good. I don't watch their programmes but feel that they are fairly likeable. I hope that Ant gets the help he needs and can eventually put it behind him.

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