Ant McPartlin will miss this year’s National Television Awards but says Declan Donnelly ‘deserves’ to win
ANT McPartlin will miss this year's National Television Awards but says partner Declan Donnelly "deserves" to win.
The star will miss the ceremony tomorrow night for the first time in 17 years after winning the best presenter gong alongside Dec every year since 2001.
Ant revealed he won't attend Tuesday night's ceremony as he will be filming Britain's Got Talent auditions with Dec.
The pair are up for their 18th consecutive best presenter award and Ant says Dec deserves to win after a busy year.
"If we do win — and I hope people still vote — then Dec deserves it. He’s worked his socks off this year," Ant said.
"It’s an accolade to how hard he’s worked in tough circumstances. How good a friend he’s been to me. How much of a professional he is. If we do win, then Dec will have to take most of it and I’ll take a tiny bit for my few shows last year."
Last year, Ant and Dec won the best presenter award for the 17th year running and took home three National Television Awards.
This year, they have been nominated in the category AGAIN, going up against Graham Norton, Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby and Bradley Walsh.
Although they didn’t film every episode of their shows as a pair, they are eligible for their work on ITV’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Britain’s Got Talent and I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!.
The Geordie duo are up against other famous faces, including Strictly Tess Daly, Love Island’s Caroline Flack, The Grand Tour’s Jeremy Clarkson and James Corden.
Speaking about the nomination, Dermot O'Leary moaned to : "If they win it this year, we should just not do it anymore. If they win it, having not been on television, we may as well just chuck in the towel."
It comes after the troubled star, 43, took a sabbatical from work after a drink driving crash forced him to take time off to tackle his demons.
It will be his first TV work since a car crash in March last year led him to check in to rehab for substance addiction.
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Ant’s career has been on hold since the crash, which led to a 20-month driving ban and a £86,000 fine.
He pulled out of BGT’s live shows, I’m A Celebrity... and scrapped the 2019 series of Saturday Night Takeaway.
Ant neither asked nor received any money for his interview with The Sun.
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