Ant and Dec Reveal True Feelings After Shock NTA Upset Ends Record-Breaking Reign

Did you ever think you’d live long enough to see Ant and Dec dethroned at the NTAs? Me neither. For 23 years, these two Geordie juggernauts have guarded the TV presenter prize like dragons hoarding gold—or at least, like hosts guarding a jungle full of bickering celebs. Yet, in a twist no algorithm could have predicted, Gary Lineker (yes, England’s football whisperer himself) snatched the crown on a night that felt a bit like watching your favorite sitcom suddenly switch leads mid-season . It leaves me oddly off-kilter—should I be cheering, gasping, or just wondering if Newcastle will ever win anything? Let’s dive into how a sports legend, a handful of fresh contenders, and one very gracious speech managed to upend a quarter-century of television tradition . LEARN MORE

Ant and Dec lost out on the TV presenter prize at the National Television Awards (NTAs) for the first time in 23 years.

The ceremony, which took place on Wednesday evening (10 September), saw the I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here hosts up against former Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker, The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman, This Morning’s Alison Hammond and reality star Stacey Solomon.

And it was Lineker who came away with the coveted award, having hosted the football highlights programme since 1999 when he took over from Des Lynam.

The 64-year-old was shortlisted for the award just months after his early exit from the BBC show in May.

Gary Lineker acknowledged Ant and Dec in his speech (John Phillips/Getty Images for the NTA’s)

It came after he shared a post about Zionism which featured a depiction of a rat, which is considered to be an antisemitic insult.

“On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references,” he said in a statement at the time. “I very much regret these references.

“I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.”

Now, in a post shared on Instagram Stories today (11 September), Ant and Dec took to Instagram to congratulate the former England striker on breaking their record.

Watch below:

“Good morning from sunny South Africa, it’s us,” Dec began.

“We just wanted to jump on here and say a huge, huge thank you to everyone who voted for I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here last night.”

Ant added: “Yes, thank you very much, everyone here is very, very happy.

“Well deserved, congratulations Gary, great speech too.”

Dec continued: “Lovely speech, thoroughly deserved.”

Ant and Dec took it very well (Instagram/@antanddec)

Well, Lineker certainly acknowledged the pair’s remarkable achievement in his acceptance speech, saying: “Blimey, I’ve won the Ant and Dec trophy.

“Alright, what to say, firstly, of course, thank you, thank you to everybody who voted for me, hugely appreciated, it’s amazing.

Always knowing that they were destined for great things, the Leicester supporter said: “I remember when I first started to present Match of the Day about two centuries ago, and there were two young Geordies just making a name for themselves, and I thought ‘These boys are going to win the NTA presenter award every single year until Newcastle win a trophy’.”

Appearing to refer back to his early BBC exit, he went on: “It’s not lost on me why I’ve won this award.

“I think perhaps it demonstrates that it’s okay to sometimes use our platform to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice.

“So thank you, it means the world.”