Ant and Dec have cemented their status as the kings of prime-time television after winning the best TV presenter accolade at the NTAs for the 21st consecutive time. They were unable to collect their award in person after both recently tested positive for Covid-19, with the trophy collected instead by Stephen Mulhern.
But responding to the news on social media, they thanked fans “from the bottom of our hearts” and said it had made them feel “tonnes better”. McPartlin and Donnelly won their first National Television Award for most popular television presenter in 2001, for their work on Pop Idol.
At the 2022 awards, they once again fended off competition from fellow industry heavyweights including Alison Hammond, Bradley Walsh and Graham Norton. Collecting the award, Mulhern said McPartlin and Donnelly had given him a speech to read – but he ripped it up.
