Despite being nominated for their 18th consecutive National Television Award, presenting duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly will not attend tonight’s (22 January) ceremony.
The pair were jointly nominated for Best Presenter earlier this year – a nomination that led to some confusion as McPartlin has been absent from TV screens for 12 months following a drink-drive incident.
Speaking to The Sun, McPartlin said that he hopes Donnelly wins the award as he “deserves it”, although neither of them will attend the event.
“If we do win – and I hope people still vote – then Dec deserves it,” he said. “He’s worked his socks off this year.
“It’s an accolade to how hard he’s worked in tough circumstances. How good a friend he’s been to me. How much of a professional he is. If we do win, then Dec will have to take most of it and I’ll take a tiny bit for my few shows last year.”
Read all about the National Television Awards here, including what time the ceremony kickstarts, who else is nominated, and when voting closes.
