Dec Donnelly will present the live shows of Britain’s Got Talent 2018 alone from tonight.
It follows Ant McPartlin’s return to rehab, and Dec’s first ever solo episodes of Saturday Night Takeaway.
Ant announced back in March that he was taking time off “for the foreseeable future” to seek treatment after being charged with drink driving.
The move meant Dec, his best friend and presenting partner, is now appearing solo for the first time in the much-loved TV duo’s two-decade career.
Dec made his debut appearance without Ant in last month’s Saturday Night Takeaway before returning for the final.
It was previously confirmed that Dec will also host the Britain’s Got Talent live shows on his own.
ITV said Dec would go it alone “while Ant steps down from his TV commitments for now”.
They added: “We send Ant all our love. And we know that Dec will do a brilliant job.”
A source told The Sun newspaper earlier this year: “After last weekend [on Saturday Night Takeaway] the feeling is very much that Dec should take on BGT alone too – he did a brilliant job.
“The bosses at ITV loved him and want him back on screens as soon as possible, and Simon Cowell totally agrees that he’s the best man for the job rather than bringing in a new face.”
Ant still appeared at the BGT audition stages, which were filmed earlier this year, concluding at the weekend.
Ant and Dec host I’m A Celebrity as well, but no decision has been made about how that may work without Ant.
An insider insisted that Ant “won’t be pushed into returning too soon.”
“This time everyone is determined that he takes all the time he needs to deal with things properly,” the source added.
Dec’s decision to go solo was likely agonising for the double act, as they previously vowed they’d never be split up.
In their 2010 autobiography, ‘Ooh! What a Lovely Pair’, Ant wrote: “We made an agreement – whatever happened, we’d be mates forever, and neither one of us would ever be on our own out there.”
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