24 February 2024 , 18:00
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Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly's hit entertainment show, Saturday Night Takeaway, is back - but not for long.
The two pals and co-presenters have been a loveable duo since they first met as young teens, but they've decided it's time to spend more time apart as they focus on their families. Ant has settled into married life with second wife Anne-Marie, and has become a step-dad to her two children from a previous marriage, while Dec became a first-time dad in 2022 with his wife of nine years, Ali Astall.
Seeing as the two have been working together since they were 13, now both aged 48, a lot has changed over the past decades, both in their personal lives and their roles on-screen. They met as child actors on Byker Grove and have been inseparable ever since.
Ant and Dec, whose names have become synonymous, went on to form PJ and Duncan and released the iconic Let's Get Ready to Rumble track before sitting at the helm of SM:TV, and landing a golden deal as ITV's biggest stars.
Ant and Dec have quit Saturday Night Takeaway to spend more time with their family (ITV/Kieron McCarron/Shutterstock)But despite their enduring success, their professional partnership and friendship was put to the ultimate test in 2018. The duo - who used to live next door to each other - almost fractured when Ant battled with alcoholism, forcing them to take a break from their double act.
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Though they drifted apart, they soon bounced back as the star recovered. And now in a rare admission, Ant has confessed that maintaining their friendship hasn't been easy, despite their natural chemistry being evident to viewers at home.
After announcing they're taking a step back from Saturday Night Takeaway, Ant opened up on his relationship with Dec in an interview with Fault magazine. He revealed that sometimes they've had to give each other space and their friendship, just like any partnership, it's something they've had to work on. Ant said: "We started working together when we were 13, and we became friends very quickly.
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"But, you know, we're both, were are both 49 this year. We're obviously not the same people that we were when we were 13. So throughout our career, you know, we've both changed."
He added: "But being able to maintain that friendship doesn't come naturally. Sometimes you have to work with friendships, and sometimes you have to compromise and sometimes you have to give each other space and time and whatever."
Fans of the duo were devastated last year when it was revealed the 2024 season of their long-running prime-time show would be the last. The boys broke the news last May with Ant saying: "We love making Saturday Night Takeaway, but reaching the milestone of 20 series seemed like the perfect time to pause for a little while and catch our breath."
Dec added: "We still have a momentous 20th series to look forward to first so we will do our best to go out (for now) with a bang in 2024." The final season is due to begin airing this weekend and will conclude on Saturday, April, 6.
Looking forward to the new chapter in his life, Ant continued: "On a more personal level, part of the reason we're pausing Takeaway is we need a break ourselves, and we need to spend some time with our family."
*Saturday Night Takeaway airs tonight on ITV1 at 7pm