Ant McPartlin thanks Declan Donnelly as duo claim Best TV Presenter award at NTAs
Presenting pair Ant and Dec have won big at the National Television Awards for the 18th time in a row, despite one half of the duo taking a break from TV.
Ant McPartlin announced he was taking a step back from small screen duties in August 2018, to engage in treatment for alcohol dependence.
Moved by the award, McPartlin said he did not feel right accepting it, but paid tribute to the dedication of his "best mate" Donnelly, as the duo from Newcastle embraced on stage.
Our favourite Geordie Duo @antanddec win their 18th consecutive National Television Award for TV Entertainment Presenter! 🏆#NTAs #NTAs2019 pic.twitter.com/JZSWHrgUWV
— National TV Awards (@OfficialNTAs) January 22, 2019
He missed out on accompanying Declan Donnelly to Australia to film I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! with Holly Willoughby standing in.
But Ant and Dec claimed the Best TV Presenter award at the 2019 NTAs, with McPartlin beating his I'm A Celebrity replacement to claim the honour.
The pair also saw off competition from Bradley Walsh, Graham Norton and Phillip Schofield.
Their success came as awards presenter Dermot O'Leary said: "If they win it, having not been on television, we may as well just chuck in the towel."
An emotional McPartlin said: "This is a genuine shock, especially this year. We want to say thank you to everybody. I really don't think that I can accept this award this year.
The one reason we won the award this year is this guy - his hard work, his wit, his dedication. Best mate in the world. I love this guy.
The pair received a standing ovation from the crowd as they claimed their 18th consecutive Best Presenter award, and were visibly moved by being named winners at the 2019 awards.
McPartlin struggled to offer his thanks to everyone who had supported them, and those who had voted for them in a difficult year.
Donnelly shared a joke at the expense of host Dermot O'Leary, who said that other talents should give up if Ant and Dec were victorious this year.
Donnelly said: "I've got him back now, and now we're back together.
"Special thank you to Dermot who said he was going to chuck in the towel if we won this year."
Accepting their dominance of the award, O'Leary said: "We chucked in the towel in 2005."
On the Ant and Dec Twitter account, the pair wrote: "Thank you doesn't seem to cover it this year. We are humbled and honoured. We are so appreciative of your continued support and good wishes, they are never taken for granted."
Thank you doesn’t seem to cover it this year. We are humbled and honoured. We are so appreciative of your continued support and good wishes, they are never taken for granted. Thank u again. Now back to #BGT auditions! D x #NTAs pic.twitter.com/rCzle3FmuM
— antanddec (@antanddec) January 22, 2019
Although Willoughby lost out to the presenter she replaced in the I'm A Celebrity jungle, she did enjoy success with the This Morning team, which
