Ant & Dec: Family first now
ANT and Dec have spoken ahead of the final series of Saturday Night Takeaway about putting family first.
The Geordie pair posed like models in Fault magazine and then talked about the final series of ITV’S SNT, which starts this weekend.
Ant, 48, says he is quitting to spend time with wife Annemarie, who has two children from a previous marriage.
He said: “Part of the reason we’re pausing Takeaway is we need a break ourselves, and we need to spend some time with our family. We’ve both got children that we need to spend time with for a little bit.
“We need time to think and step back and look at the bigger picture and just see where we are now.”
And speaking of his own changing relationship with pal and dad-of-two Dec, Ant said: “We started working together when we were 13, and we became friends very quickly. We’re both 49 this year.
“We’re not the same people we were when we were 13. Being able to maintain that friendship doesn’t come naturally. Sometimes you have to work with friendships, compromise and give each other space and time.”
They told Fault time out from the series, which premiered in 2002, will allow them to step back and think, with a view to perhaps bringing back a revamped version in the future. The new series begins with Stephen Merchant as the live guest announcer, a new Little Ant & Dec and a special end of the show with Becky Hill and Urban Theory.
The boys will also be joined by Simon Cowell in the SNT studio this week to discuss an undercover prank they played on him in America.
Dec said: “We are ending the undercovers where we started… with Simon Cowell. Our first ever undercover was on Simon in LA when he was a judge on American Idol. So we’ve gone back and got Simon Cowell again. We went to LA and gave him the day from hell, while he judged America’s Got Talent.”
Ant said: “It was even sweeter getting him the second time round because we also got him during his downtime as he’s riding his bike around Malibu, it’s very, very funny.” The series will include Get Out Of Me Ear: The Revenge; where celebs who have been hidden camera victims can get revenge on the pair by being in their ears. Insiders have called it “guaranteed chaos”.those featured include Cowell, Alison Hammond, Olly Murs, Oti Mabuse, Davina Mccall, Holly Willoughby and Rylan.
■ The full interview with Ant and Dec is in Fault, out now. Ant & Dec’s SNT is on Saturday, 7pm on ITV1, STV and ITVX.
We need to step back and see where we are now
ANT MCPARTLIN
ON TAKING TIME OUT