Discovery Channel’s Wheeler Dealers is to return to the UK for the first time in six years and mechanic Ant Anstead is to be replaced.
Series 17 of the hit TV series will air in Autumn 2021 and will see former F1 mechanic, Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley taking on the role of new co-host.
Simon Downing, SVP, head of factual and sport, Discovery UK said: “Bringing Wheeler Dealers back to the UK is an exciting moment for us.
“We’d like to thank Ant for doing a truly amazing job, he will always remain a member of the Wheeler Dealers family and will be making some special appearances in future episodes.
“A warm welcome to Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley who has already proved a hit among fans in the spin-off Dream Car.”
Announcing the news to his Instagram followers, Ant posted: “My time on Wheeler Dealers has come to an end as the show heads back to the UK
“I proudly hand the spanner’s over to the legend that is @f1elvis and I remain home in California to embark on THREE new TV shows (watch this space for the top secret news coming soon).
“Thank you all those car fans (and non car fans) for the years of support and banter.”
For the last six years, Wheeler Dealers has been filmed in the US.
Discovery says Ant will be ‘popping into the Wheeler Dealers workshop’ for guest appearances.
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Wheeler Dealers, which has aired since 2003, is a show on the Discovery Channel that follows Mike Brewer as he locates and purchases cars to restore and sell for a profit.
From 2017 to 2020, Mike was partnered with master mechanic Ant Anstead, who restored the vehicles and guided us through his repairs.
Mike and Ant made a great team for years, but in 2020, Ant officially announced his departure from the show.
Today, we’ll explore why Ant left the show and what he’s getting up to now.
Why Ant left Wheeler Dealers
Ant announced his departure from Wheeler Dealers on Instagram in November of 2020.
As the show headed back to the UK, Ant wanted to stay in California and work on three new TV shows instead:
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Those three new shows were World’s Greatest Cars on Sky, Celebrity IOU: Joyride on Discovery+ and one project that is yet to be announced.
As Mike took Wheeler Dealers back to its original stomping ground, fans were left wondering why Ant chose to leave the show at the height of its popularity.
Why did Ant stay in California?
It’s fair to say that Wheeler Dealer fans were left a bit perplexed with the news that Ant was leaving the show for good.
While the original fanbase had long been calling for the show to return to the UK, they had come to enjoy Ant’s presence, sense of humour and expertise.
There are a few reasons why Ant Anstead might have chosen to remain in the US. His new television projects are a big part of this.
In 2021, Ant extended a contract with Discovery Channel to provide new shows to the Discovery+ platform.
Also, Ant’s personal life has been rooted in the US for over five years now.
Ant was originally born in Plymouth, Devon (UK). When he joined Wheeler Dealers in 2017, he made the decision to relocate permanently to California.
Ant married American TV personality Christina Haack in 2017 and they share a son together.
After 3 years of marriage, the pair took the decision to split amicably and file for divorce.
In 2021, Ant began dating American actress Renée Zellweger (well-known for her recurring role as Bridget Jones).
As you can probably tell, Ant has built himself a new life in the US.
He has a home and a loving family, as well as numerous exciting projects coming up.
It must have been a difficult decision to leave Wheeler Dealers, but it just made sense for Ant to remain in California.
Who replaced Ant Anstead on Wheeler Dealers?
When Ant left the show in 2020, Mike Brewer and the production team found themselves in a familiar predicament: finding the next Wheeler Dealers mechanic.
Wheeler Dealers had already bounced back from an uncertain future in 2017 when Edd China left the show.
This is where Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley comes in. Elvis was an F1 mechanic for McLaren from 1999 to 2009.
After leaving F1 with huge amounts of specialist car knowledge and experience under his belt, Elvis chose to focus on automotive media and journalism.
In 2020, he officially joined Wheeler Dealers as the third mechanic. The third time’s the charm, right?
To top it off, Elvis already had prior experience working alongside Mike on the Wheeler Dealers: Dream Car series.
Mike expressed his pure satisfaction in working with Elvis, stating that they ‘so enjoyed each other’s company’.
In truth, choosing Elvis to be the third mechanic on Wheeler Dealers was a no-brainer for Mike.
Is Ant still friends with Mike Brewer?
Mike Brewer and Ant Anstead remain good friends since Ant’s departure from Wheeler Dealers.
Ant’s decision to leave the show was not a matter of unhappiness or distrust in Mike or the production company. It simply came down to logistics.
Mike needed to return to the UK with Wheeler Dealers for a number of reasons: both personal and professional.
And Ant had established a life for himself out in the US. Thus, they went their separate ways.
There will always be good memories between the two of working together on the show. For instance, Ant helped Mike to make the biggest profit in Wheeler Dealers history.
Ant’s continued commitment to his friendship with Mike is shown in Ant’s willingness to make special appearances on Wheeler Dealers.
Ant is expected to pop up in episodes here and there when he travels back to the UK.
Summary
For car enthusiasts young and old, Wheeler Dealers is a highlight of automotive television.
It’s such a simple concept – buy a car, fix it up and sell it for profit – but it’s just so effective. It’s endlessly entertaining.
Mike has been holding down the Wheeler Dealers fort for nearly 20 years now.
Over that same time, audiences have had to adapt to three different mechanics holding the wrenches: Edd, Ant and now Elvis.
Accepting change is never easy for the die-hard audiences of a TV show. But it ensures that the show can continue and evolve in new and exciting formats.
How do you feel about Ant’s stint on Wheeler Dealers? Let us know below!
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There are many talented celebrities that have hidden abilities. Ant Anstead could be one of those actors. Between his marriage to Christina Haack and his rumored new romance Renee Zellweger, Anstead has shown he can be good with his hands, and the cars on Wheeler Dealers.
Ant Anstead appeared on the show Wheeler Dealers
As an English television presenter, motor enthusiast, designer, and artist Ant Anstead loves cars, and he loves to restore them to their best. On a mission to help save classics from becoming the next frying pan, Anstead joined Wheeler Dealers in season 14.
Working as the mechanic didn’t bring him very much celebrity limelight until he met Christina Haack from Flip or Flop. The two began dating, and Anstead’s fame began to rise.
Anstead’s job on Wheeler Dealers was to restore cars
Anstead worked his fingers hard with his crew on Wheeler Dealers. He was tasked with taking in a vehicle and restoring it under a budget to sell to another enthusiast. The show took in different models of unique and classic vehicles that needed repairs and created a sellable product.
Anstead was the lead mechanic and presented the finished vehicle back to the owner for approval after repairs were finished. The show’s success has led it to return to the UK, but Anstead did not go with them.
Christina Haack and Anstead announced their divorce around the same time Wheeler Dealers made its move back to the UK. Anstead stayed in California for personal reasons and to settle his divorce from Haack. The two’s relationship is reported to have ended because of irreconcilable differences. Anstead and Haack announced their separation in September 2020.
Anstead officially left Wheeler Dealers in October 2020. Haack struggled after the divorce, stating she was a mess and working through her emotions. She continued working on the set of Christina on the Coast after the birth of the couple’s son and divorce.
Does Anstead have a new love in his life?
The divorce from Christina Haack was a blow to Anstead, a hardship that drove him to join an all-men’s prayer group to cope. He and Haack remain friends, their children enjoy being together. However, the support Anstead needed after his divorce wasn’t that of his ex-wife, baby boy’s mother, and friend, but of his faith and friends.
Anstead has been spotted with actor Renee Zellweger and rumors have started that the two have been dating. While it remains unknown what their relationship is currently, there is hope that Anstead might be giving love another chance. Fans hope that Anstead can find love once again and give him and his children a chance at a good family home.
Despite the relationships and heartbreaks from his personal life, Anstead can’t have his work taken from him. As a Master mechanic in his own right, Anstead can look forward to the future of car-related TV and find his own place. His personal relationships will continue to develop, and Anstead will watch his children grow up. Anstead has been asked by Wheeler Dealers to guest star occasionally as a way to continue his role in the series.
RELATED: HGTV Star Ant Anstead Reveals the Real Reason He ‘Went off Grid’ After Being Spotted With Renée Zellweger