Ant and Dec: do duo have Covid, why won’t they be at NTAs - what awards are they up for?

Ant & Dec have fallen ill, and won’t be able to attend the 2022 NTAs as a result - and have also pulled out of presenting a Britain’s Got Talent spinoff
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Ant & Dec have announced that, due to illness, they’ll be unable to attend the National Television Awards tonight. The pair (and the programmes they present) have received three nominations in two categories, several of which they’re expected to win in.

It’s also been announced that, again as a result of that same illness, the two will not be able to present a magic-themed spinoff of Britain’s Got Talent. Stephen Mulhern will instead host Britain’s Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician.

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Here’s everything you need to know about Ant & Dec’s current illness, and how it impacts their current and future work projects.

What is wrong with Ant & Dec?

Ant and Dec have had to pull out of work commitments (Image: Getty Images)Ant and Dec have had to pull out of work commitments (Image: Getty Images)
Ant and Dec have had to pull out of work commitments (Image: Getty Images)

Ant & Dec - full names Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, in case you were wondering - have announced that, due to illness, they’re unable to attend any immediate work engagements. In an instagram story on their shared social media account, they revealed that they had both fallen sick with the novel coronavirus.

“Sadly, it’s true,” read the post, a caption over an image of two positive lateral flow tests, “we even get ill together! After feeling unwell a few days ago we both tested nd we’re positive for Covid.”

“We’re resting up at home and are so sorry we can’t be at the @officialntas. Best of luck everyone! And get well soon to anyone else in the same boat x”

What had they been nominated for at the NTAs?

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Ant & Dec have been nominated three times at the 2022 National Television Awards. The first, obviously, was the Best Presenter award, which they receive every year; it’s their 21st nomination, and the general expectation is that they will once again collect that trophy. (If not actually in person this time.) Also nominated for Best Presenter are Alison Hammond of Good Morning Britain, Bradley Walsh, and Graham Norton.

They also have two nominations for Best Entertainment, with both I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and Saturday Night Takeaway up for awards in that category. Competing against Ant & Dec in the Best Entertainment category are Taskmaster and The Graham Norton Show. The Best Entertainment category is formally known as the Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award, named in tribute to the former Strictly Come Dancing host.

Who will host Britain’s Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician?

Ant & Dec won’t just be missing the National Television Awards - they’ve also had to pull out of presenting the magic themed Britain’s Got Talent spinoff Britain’s Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician.

Replacing them is Stephen Mulhern, who’s a regular face across Britain’s Got Talent and its existing spinoffs. Appropriately, he’s actually also a former magician himself, and has presented a number of magic-themed programmes in the past.

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Britain’s Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician is expected to air later this year.

Will it impact any of their other projects?

Ant & Dec have suspended work on all their current projects. While they’ve not made any specific announcements about what they may or may not be doing beyond missing the NTAs and The Ultimate Magician, a look at their recent social media posts revealed they’d just started work on the second series of Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win.

It seems likely therefore they’ve also had to pause production on that series, though at the moment that’s just speculation, and it’s not clear to what extent it’d be impacted by their illness.

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