<!–
<!–
<!– <!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly brought viewers to tears when they returned for the final series of their Saturday Night Takeaway show this weekend.
The TV presenting duo returned to screens in the show which first aired in 2002.
Going back in time, they shared a photo of themselves from the first series.
They also gave viewers a look at guest commentator Stephen Merchant from the same year the show launched.
have said they will be taking a break from Saturday Night Takeaway “to spend some time” with their families.
Ant married Anne-Marie Corbett in 2021, while Dec shares two children, Isla, five, and Jack, 18 months, with his wife Ali Astall.
The award-winning presenting duo announced last year that they would be stepping down from the show after the milestone 20th series, as they said it seemed like the “perfect time to pause for a moment and catch our breath”.
speaking to Failure magazine, Ant said: ‘Part of the reason we’re putting Takeaway on hiatus is that we ourselves need a break and we need to spend some time with our family.
“We both have kids we need to spend time with for a while.”
Ant and Anne-Marie are reportedly expecting their first child together.
Anne-Marie also has two teenage daughters from her previous relationship.
Ant and Dec have been working together for over 30 years, starting on teen drama Byker Grove.
They launched Saturday Night Takeaway in 2002, and the show went on hiatus for a period in 2009, before returning four years later in 2013.
He has received multiple Bafta and National Television Awards (NTAs), including presenting awards for the Geordie duo.
The show consists of a selection of comedy games, involving the studio audience or the unsuspecting public, and ending with a musical or dance performance.
The couple will continue their working relationship with ITV, hosting popular shows including I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Britain’s Got Talent and Limitless Win.
Reflecting on his next moves, Ant said: “We need time to think and time to step back and look at the bigger picture and see where we are now.”
‘As I say, we turned 49, and what do we want to do next? What is the next phase of our career?
‘And we have a lot of ideas and a lot of offers on the table, a lot of options of things we can do. But he’s working on what we’ll do next and where the next chapter starts.
‘So that’s what we’ll do when Saturday Night Takeaway is out of the way. We’ll sit down, take a little time, and reevaluate everything.
Music mogul Simon Cowell will be the victim of McPartlin and Donnelly’s famous Undercover prank segment when the show returns on February 24.
In the popular feature, the Geordie duo dress up in costumes in a bid to play a prank on their famous friends.
40 million, more than 5,000 children sheltered