Ant and Dec have revealed they came close to quitting Britain’s Got Talent after a behind-the-scenes falling-out with judge and show boss Simon Cowell.
The presenting duo, Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, have fronted the ITV talent show since its launch in 2007, but admitted there was a point when they were no longer enjoying the experience and seriously considered walking away.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, the pair said tensions came to a head in 2012, when they felt increasingly sidelined on screen and frustrated by Cowell’s habit of arriving late to auditions.
Ant explained that they even flew to Los Angeles with the intention of telling Cowell they were leaving the programme altogether. “We went to LA to see him to tell him we were going to leave Britain’s Got Talent because we weren’t having a very nice time,” he said. “He was always late – it was through his period where he would just never turn up on time.”
Declan added that the imbalance between the time commitment and their presence on the show had become a breaking point. “We were in the show less and less,” he said. “It was taking up a lot of our time and we weren’t really in it, so we thought we might as well leave and put our energies elsewhere.”
According to the presenters, Cowell was taken aback by their ultimatum. Dec recalled that Cowell “pleaded” with them to stay, promising changes would be made. “He said he’d turn up on time, that we’d be featured more and that we’d have more fun with it,” he said.
Ant added that Cowell listened carefully to their concerns, joking that he sat through the conversation “for four, maybe five cigarettes”.
Despite the tense meeting, both presenters were keen to stress their respect for Cowell. Ant described him as “a really charming bloke with a great sense of humour”, adding: “He’s funny, generous, and we’ve always had a good relationship with him because we’re quite honest with him – and I think he appreciates that.”
Crucially, Cowell kept his word. “He made a promise to us that things would change and we’d never feel like that again,” Dec said. “To be fair to him, he was as good as his word.”
Ant and Dec will return to host Britain’s Got Talent when it comes back to ITV later this year, alongside judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and KSI.
