Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
To Takeaway £40m ITV deal
This Morning after the night before...
the Geordie duo are staying put for now. The hugely popular Saturday Night Takeaway began in 2002 and features sketches, celebrity guests, stunts, and games for the audience.
The pair were speaking backstage at the National TV Awards at the O2 on Tuesday, where they were reunited with I’m A Celeb’s Caitlyn Jenner, 70.
The duo admitted they felt they owe their fans more than ever for their 19th NTA Presenter award win, as viewers had stuck with them through Ant’s drink and prescription drug battle. Ant returned to TV a year ago after taking time out following his conviction for drink driving.
Clutching his award, he said: “As you get older, the more grateful you are because it is voted for by the viewers. We have been around for so long and you know we are still up there and they are still voting for us, so we are very thankful.
“Yeah, we’ve had a couple of difficult years. We have had ups and downs and they have stuck with us and viewers are still voting for us, and for that we are eternally grateful.”
Dec also admitted having not one but two trophy cabinets in his home after all the wins. He said: “It’s in the front room next to the television so everyone that comes in sees them.”
THE NTAS took their toll on some celebrities who partied until the small hours.
The This Morning team posed for a cramped selfie after their win for Best Live Magazine show, for the 17th year running.
However, the night didn’t end well for Love Island’s Chris Hughes, 27, who had a bust-up with a snapper. Model Hughes, who’s dating Little Mix star Jesy Nelson, later claimed: “I want to make everyone aware this was in self-defence.” The police are investigating.
The pair also discussed last year’s documentary series DNA Journey, and explained why they chose to be so candid in it.
In the two-parter, Dec said he feared he had “lost” his friend Ant when he went to rehab, while Ant thought he may never work again if the public turned against him following his conviction. However, the hosts are as successful as ever.
Ant said the show, which took more than two years to make, led them to “places physically and emotionally” they never thought they would go.
“It was one hell of a show,” he added. “We learned a lot about each other... about ourselves. It was a really enjoyable but emotional process.”
“We decided we would keep it in, and talk about it, because we had to.
“It’s such an honest show – if we’d have dodged it, it would have been dishonest. The end result was crazy.”