Ant and Dec at NTAs: We’re friends first – the shows come after that

Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly said their friendship comes before their TV shows – after winning at the National Television Awards for best TV presenter.

The duo have fronted programmes including Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and won best TV presenter at the NTAs continuously for years.

Speaking in the winner’s room, Ant said the key to the pair’s on-screen chemistry is a true friendship.

He said: “We’re friends. That’s it. We’re friends first and foremost and the TV shows come after that, so I think at the heart of it when you watch it, you know it’s a true friendship.”

Dec said: “We’ve always said that ours is a career built on friendship, not a friendship built on a career, so I think our foundations are very, very strong in our friendship and we’ve known each other now for 31 years, I think.”

Ant added: “We met at 13. We’ve grown like any friends do who have known each other that long. We know everything about each other. We know what makes the other laugh, what annoys the other one and, yeah, we love each other.”