Ant and Dec pull out of NTAs after being struck down with Covid

2022-10-12

EXCLUSIVE: Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly forced to pull out of Britain’s Got Talent special AND the NTAs after being struck down with Covid

The TV duo, who have won best presenter at the NTAs for 20 consecutive years, are suffering from flu-like symptoms and are ‘bed bound’
They are also no longer able to attend the National Television Awards which is set to take place on Thursday
Stephen Mulhern has been announced as a last-minute replacement host for Britain’s Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician
A BGT spokesperson said: ‘Ant and Dec are both unwell and have postponed all work commitments until they recover’
Their last work commitment saw them filming in South Africa for the all-stars series for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

Ant and Dec have pulled out of attending the National Television Awards and Britain’s Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician after being struck down with Covid, MailOnline can reveal.

The TV duo, who have won best presenter at the NTAs for 20 consecutive years, are suffering from flu-like symptoms and are ‘bed bound’ with the contagious infection.

A Britain’s Got Talent spokesperson announced on Wednesday that the pair are ‘unwell’ and won’t be working until they recover.

A source told MailOnline: ‘Ant and Dec are gutted.

Oh no! Ant and Dec have pulled out of attending the National Television Awards and Britain’s Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician after being struck down with Covid, MailOnline can revea

‘They love the NTAs, it’s the best night in TV, and for them it’s an event they always look forward to.

‘They’re both feeling really poorly but will be watching the show from bed and hope to be well and working again soon.’

Their absence at the star-studded NTAs won’t go unnoticed by viewers, who have voted for Ant and Dec to win best presenter for over two decades.

But this year This Morning host Alison Hammond is tipped to finally end their winning streak.

Stephen Mulhern will be replacing them as host of the Britain’s Got Talent special which was recorded in Birmingham on Tuesday night.

A friendly face: BGT’s favourite magician, Stephen Mulhern has stepped in to take over from Ant and Dec on the special

A Britain’s Got Talent spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Ant and Dec are both unwell and have postponed all work commitments until they recover.

‘Sadly, this means they were unable to film Britain’s Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician. Whilst we wish them a speedy recovery, we are thrilled to confirm that BGT’s favourite magician, Stephen Mulhern has stepped in.’

Another spokesperson said they have ‘put all work commitments on hold.’

Their last work commitment saw them filming in South Africa for the all-stars series for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

The BGT special was announced earlier this week and there is currently no on-air date released.

American magician Pen Jillette was announced as a guest judge alongside the regular panel.

MailOnline has contacted spokespersons for more information.

Last year, Ant and Dec scooped the Best Presenter gong for an epic 20th time in a row at the National Television Awards (pictured)

The NTAs are a major event for the dynamic hosting duo.

Last year, they scooped the Best Presenter gong for an epic 20th time in a row, with an emotional Ant seen clutching his wife Anne-Marie as the news was delivered.

In 2021, The Geordie duo beat off competition from the likes of Piers Morgan, Holly Willoughby, Alison Hammond and Bradley Walsh to win the coveted gong once more.

They are up for several prizes at this year’s ceremony including yet another nod inthe TV Presenter category.

What’s more, their shows ‘Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway’ and ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ are up for The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award, while ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, which they also co-host’, has a nod for the best Talent Show.

Abroad: Their last work commitment saw them filming in South Africa for the all-stars series for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

It comes after Ant and Dec recently saw the value of one of their businesses sink by more than £2million in a year in a rare financial setback.

The dynamic television duo own a ‘creative ideas company’ and its value has reduced from £3.5million to £1.4million

The pair’s company – known as Mitre Studios Limited – brainstorms new TV show ideas which can be developed and sold on.

New accounts reveal that the company’s cash reserves slumped between 2020 and 2021 during the height of the pandemic.

Ant and Dec’s NTAs success

Ant and Dec have won the Best Presenter award at the National Television Awards a record 20 times.

The pair won the gong for the first time at the 2001 ceremony and they have won every single year since.

After their 18th win in 2019, the duo were presented with the Guinness World Record for the most Best Presenter awards consecutively.

Prior to Ant and Dec’s unstoppable success, Michael Barrymore was the last person to claim the award in 2000.

Speaking after their 20th win, Ant said: ‘We were talking in the car on the way here and the first year we won an NTA, Tony Blair was the prime minister and Newcastle United qualified for the Champions League. It just goes to show how long ago it was.

He added: ‘But do you know what? This one means the most. 20 years. This is really, really special. You have no idea how special this is.’

The company paid a corporation tax bill in 2021 of £98,351 which would translate to profits of around £500,000, up from the previous year when the tax bill was £72,679.

It is the first year that the firm’s value has fallen, having risen steadily each year since 2015 when it was worth around £700,000.

While reserves may be down, the pair are unlikely to be overly concerned as they both have fortunes estimated at £62 million from their careers.

They are also reported to have recently agreed a new £30 million deal earlier this year to keep them with ITV for the next five years.

Company: It comes after Ant and Dec recently saw the value of one of their businesses sink by more than £2million in a year in a rare financial setback (pictured November 2020)

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