WHEELER Dealers star Ant Anstead has revealed the “one that got away” as he shared a heartfelt plea for help finding his beloved first car.
The TV star said he had searched for years and “knows she’s out there somewhere”.
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Today, fans know Ant as a strapping 6’2″ petrolhead and for his relationship with superstar actress Renee Zellweger.
But writing for Hagerty, he harkened back to when he was a teen just starting out on his motoring journey.
And the car that “set him on the path” towards his love of all things road-related was Bridget the Midget.
Bridget is a 1977 MG Midget which the presenter snapped up when he was just 17 years old.
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Ant wrote: “I’ve been looking for Bridget the Midget for about five years.
“I was 17 when I bought her and all my peers were driving hot hatches…so I was the odd one out, but I was the only one with a convertible.
“I was the cool kid, or at least I thought I was.
“I’m quite a big dude at almost 6’3″ so I must have looked like an absolute plonker squeezing into it, but buying that car really did set me off on a path.”
The star recalled that he had first spotted Bridget on a second-hand car site and had bought her “without seeing her” – so he clearly felt an immediate connection.
The car also retained an extra significance as it was the first motor he drove around in with his then-girlfriend, and later wife, Louise.
It also “kept breaking down” and “forced [him] to learn so much more” as a mechanic – setting him up for his later stardom.
He explained that he had started a social media campaign in 2017 trying to track Bridget down and buy her back, but was sadly unsuccessful.
However, a check with the DVLA found that Bridget is registered SORN, so Ant “knows she’s out there somewhere”.
Ant added: “I’m not a memory lane kind of guy so if I did get the Midget back I’d see it as a totally new chapter.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we name our cars because they become part of the family, and I find it interesting how cars evolve into the spirit of their owner.
“I’ve tried to find her for five years, and the worst part of it is that I know she’s out there, she’s waiting for me. I hope I’ll be with you soon Bridget.”
It comes after Ant’s former co-star Mike Brewer shared his own agonising update on the search for his stolen Mark I Ford Fiesta, which was cruelly pinched last year.
Meanwhile, we gave Wheeler Dealers fans a glimpse inside the bizarre car collection of long-time presenter Edd China – including a driveable sofa.
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