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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Katie Fitzpatrick

Ant and Dec explain why they're allowed to stand so close to each other as BGT returns

Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly bounded back on stage tonight to treat Britain's Got Talent fans with a spectacular song and dance number.

The pair opened the semi-finals with a high-energy routine to welcome us all back following the ITV talent show being split in half and postponed because of coronavirus.

But some fans were wondering why the popular duo were allowed to stand close together on stage while social distancing guidelines remain in place.

In the BGT studio the crowd has been replaced for the semi-finals by a remote audience on a bank of TV screens.

The studio audience has been replaced by a bank of tellies (ITV/BGT)

One viewer watching at home guessed on Twitter: "Ant and Dec being able to stand that near each other means they probably were in a bubble together.

"I’m choosing to believe it cause it’s a cute thought."

And their 'bubble' was confirmed on the show by the duo who explained: "We are indeed in a bubble, we have for a little while."

They added jokingly: "How long has it been? 30 years."

They opened the show with a big song and dance number (ITV/BGT)

In England two households can be in a support bubble together, effectively becoming one household.

A regular bubble allows single adults living alone - or single parents whose children are under 18 - to form a support bubble with one other household of any size, but Ant and Dec have previously explained that their arrangement is a 'cohort' which means their households have close contact and they get tested every four or five days for coronavirus.

The issue was previously raised with Ant and Dec on BBC's The One Show, when they were asked to explain by host Alex Jones.

Pointing out they were in close proximity, she said: "I tell you what, people will be emailing, they'll be noticing you are very close together.

"Let viewers know what is happening, you are in a bubble aren't you."

The pals, who shot to fame together in the late 80s on the show Byker Grove, will be presenting I'm A Celebrity ...Get Me Out Of Here! together later this year.

Dec said: "We are in a cohort, is what it's called. We get tested every four or five days and our two households have now become a cohort."

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