Dec to get new partner to host I'm A Celebrity... who could it be?

Ant (left) won't be there for the next series of I'm A Celebrity...

Declan Donnelly will have a new co-host on the next series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! as Ant McPartlin takes time off.

Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, ITV's director of television Kevin Lygo said they have decided on Dec's co-host, but would not reveal who it was.

Ant stepped down from his TV work in March to have treatment after his drink-driving arrest.

It had been thought Dec would present the jungle reality show solo.

Earlier in August, Ant said he would be taking the rest of the year off, and Saturday Night Takeaway would not return next year.

Dec presented the final shows of Saturday Night Takeaway as well as the Britain's Got Talent live finals alone. The new series of I'm A Celebrity... is due to begin in November.

When asked who Dec's co-presenter would be, Lygo joked: "It's going to be Piers Morgan. No, I don't know, it could be Jeremy Corbyn. I can't say."

He added: "The good news is that he [Ant]'s doing really well, he's doing everything he should be doing to get better.

"We collectively thought, let's give it a good amount of time off, this is a slow procedure, that's what we've decided to do."

The favourites to fill Ant's shoes include...

Scarlett Moffatt, Stephen Mulhern and Cat Deeley could be in the running

• Scarlett Moffatt

The former Gogglebox star won I'm A Celebrity... in 2016 and has a close relationship with Ant and Dec. They signed her up for presenting duties on Saturday Night Takeaway and she presented on last year's ITV2 I'm A Celeb spin-off show Extra Camp.

• Stephen Mulhern

The presenter and magician appears on Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and also works with the duo as host of Britain's Got Talent companion show Britain's Got More Talent.

• Cat Deeley

The host of US show So You Think You Can Dance has been nominated for five Emmys for her presenting and has strong connections with Ant and Dec from their days on SMTV.

• Joel Dommett

The comedian was a runner-up on I'm A Celebrity... in 2016 and last year was a presenter on Extra Camp.

• Joe Swash

The former EastEnders actor was King of the Jungle in 2008 and has been a co-presenter on the spin-off show since 2009.

• Caroline Flack

The in-demand Love Island presenter was also a presenter on the I'm A Celebrity... spin-off show when it was called I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! NOW! from 2009 to 2010.

• Emma Willis

The presenter of Big Brother, Celebrity Big Brother and The Voice is a big name on ITV and a safe pair of hands.

• Keith Lemon

The alter-ego of Leigh Francis made a number of appearances on the ITV2 I'm A Celeb spin-off when Caroline Flack presented it. He is a big name on ITV with a number shows including Celebrity Juice and Through the Keyhole.

Jeremy Kyle, Bradley Walsh and Vernon Kay have all also been mentioned.

• Julia Morris

The Australian comedienne is one person who has been receiving a lot of support - she hosts the Australian version of I'm A Celebrity... and has got a lot of attention in the last few days after a fan posted a montage of her intro jokes on Twitter.

She was asked about the possibility by Good Morning Britain and said she'd "take the job in a heartbeat".