Ant McPartlin has revealed the surprisingly ordinary frustration that pushed him to the brink while living in London—and it involved something thousands of residents encounter every day: abandoned Lime e-bikes.
The beloved TV presenter made the hilarious confession during the latest episode of his podcast, Hanging Out With Ant And Dec, joking that his comments would inevitably become newspaper headlines.
“I Was Sick of It”
Recalling life outside his former Wimbledon home, Ant admitted he grew increasingly frustrated by rental e-bikes being left directly outside his gates.
“There was a period where I used to live, people would leave their Lime bikes outside my house. Just outside the gates.”
At first, he tried to ignore it. But after repeatedly finding multiple bikes blocking the area day after day, his patience finally ran out.
“I got so angry and one day, I kicked them all down.”
The outburst quickly became a talking point within the family.
According to Ant, his stepdaughters jokingly accused him of having “anger issues.”
But the presenter insists there was an important difference.
“I don’t have anger issues. I was just angry at the people who kept leaving them.”
He continued:
“Every day I’d go out and it was as if they knew—it was winding me up. There would be one parked outside my house every day.”
Ant McPartlin revealed he left London due to fury over the capital’s e-bike scourge that left his step-daughters claiming he had ‘anger issues’
He and Dec captioned the video with the words: ‘The real reason Ant moved out of London’ and joked that the Daily Mail would be turning it into a headline
Ant and Anne-Marie married in August 2021 at St Michael’s Church in Heckfield – they traded in their £6million Wimbledon home for a quieter £10million gated pad in Cobham in February
Eventually, Ant admitted he snapped.
“I was like, ‘I am f***ing sick of this,’ and kicked it over. But that’s not anger issues—I was just angry.”
Laughing, he added:
“That’s not anger… anger issues means you’re angry at everything.”
Did the Bikes Really Make Him Leave London?
Podcast co-host Declan Donnelly couldn’t resist teasing his longtime friend.
“Is that why you moved out of London?” Dec joked.
Ant immediately burst into laughter before playing along.
“Yes, I had to move out of London because people were parking bikes outside my house.”
He then predicted exactly what would happen next.
“This will be a story now… ‘Ant’s fury at Lime bikes.’”
The Real Reason Behind the Move
While the podcast exchange was clearly tongue-in-cheek, Ant’s move from London did happen earlier this year.
He and wife Anne-Marie Corbett sold their £6 million Wimbledon property and relocated to a quieter £10 million gated home in Cobham, Surrey.
However, reports indicate the move had far more to do with an ongoing planning dispute than abandoned bicycles.
The couple had reportedly faced opposition over proposed renovation works, including plans involving several protected trees on the property.
Despite the joke, Lime bikes were never believed to be the genuine reason behind the relocation.
A New Chapter Away From the City
Today, Ant enjoys a much quieter lifestyle with Anne-Marie and their young family.
The couple, who married in 2021, share son Wilder, while Ant is also a devoted stepfather to Anne-Marie’s daughters, Poppy and Daisy.
Life in Surrey is a world away from the hustle of London, with their routine now focused on family time, dog walks, football matches, Wimbledon tennis, and regular trips to Barbados.
Finding Happiness After Difficult Years
Ant has often credited Anne-Marie with helping him rebuild his life following his highly publicized battle with alcohol and prescription painkiller addiction.
The presenter has described his wife as both his “rock” and his “lifesaver,” explaining that stepping away from the spotlight during recovery changed everything.
He previously revealed that after leaving hospital, he intentionally escaped city life to focus entirely on healing.
“I rented houses in the country and locked myself away and walked the dog. No TV or social media. I did nothing.”
