Ant McPartlin felt "life’s too short" to continue his estrangement from his father.
The ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here’ host had very little contact with his dad Raymond after he walked out on their family when the presenter was just 10 years old but they got back in touch last year and Ant is thankful they have repaired their rift.
Speaking on ITV documentary ‘Ant & Dec’s DNA Journey’, he said: "My dad left the family when I was about 10 and I’ve seen him sporadically over the years.
"I haven’t seen him for a long while now. We didn’t speak for quite a while… but last year we started texting each other and I spoke to him on the phone for my birthday, which was lovely.
"To be fair, life is too short. There is no point holding grudges or anything like that. You get to that age… I turned 40 and I just thought let’s stop messing about, let’s get in touch because you never know what’s going to happen."
Earlier this year, Ant admitted he was "thrilled" to have his 64-year-old dad back in his life.
He said: "My dad and I didn’t speak for a long time, but we’re talking again now, which is great."
Asked what Raymond is like, he added: "He’s good, he’s funny. I’m slowly getting to know him again.
"He’s a proud man, a worker, a plumber. I’m thrilled that I’m back in touch."
While Ant has had a fractured relationship with his dad over the years, he’s always been close to his mother Christine Woodhall and she even moved in with him when he split from wife Lisa Armstrong in January 2018.
Ant McPartlin: Life’s too short
