ITV has confirmed that Declan Donnelly will present Britain's Got Talent live shows solo for the first time ever.
Declan, who is part of the iconic British duo ‘Ant and Dec’ is rarely ever seen presenting alone.
His co-host Ant McPartlin has stepped down from his presenting commitments after he was charged with drink driving in March.
ITV stated that the 42-year-old will not be returning to the new series of the reality show. Both Ant and Dec have been hosting the show since 2007.
Head of entertainment at ITV, Siobhan Greene confirmed the news, “Dec will be hosting the live shows which for the first time ever are coming from the Hammersmith Apollo while Ant steps down from his TV commitments for now.”
She added, “We send Ant all our love, and we know that Dec will do a brilliant job."
Ant previously missed the final two episodes of Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, where Dec was praised for continuing on with the show, despite Ant’s absence.
Following his first solo stint on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Declan thanked the public for their support.
#SaturdayNightTakeaway show day! D x pic.twitter.com/ZXJZkkugLH
— antanddec (@antanddec) April 7, 2018
"Thanks for all your lovely messages tonight, they are VERY much appreciated, I’m glad you enjoyed the show. I didn’t sleep an awful lot last night so I’m off to bed! Night y’all. D x,” he tweeted.
It is understood that Dec will host at least six live episodes of Britain’s Got Talent this spring.
