Ant and Dec discuss their emotional farewell to Saturday Night Takeaway after 22 years – as they reveal they’ve changed their minds ‘several times’ but are happy to leave ‘on a high’

Ant and Dec are set to surprise Saturday Night Takeaway fans with one final action-packed episode.

Yet the hosting duo, both 48, admitted it was far from an easy decision to leave the iconic show as they discussed their emotional farewell during an appearance on Friday’s This Morning.

Chatting to hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary at the final extravaganza, the pair explained it felt like ‘the right time’ to leave the iconic show ‘on a high’.

Dec praised its 22-year run, saying: ‘When we first came to the decision to rest it – and we did because 20 series feels like a good time to do it – we told our management first.

“We said, ‘We’d like to rest it, but we reserve the right to change our minds several times,’ and we have. But I think we know in our hearts that it’s the right thing to do.”

Yet the hosting duo, both 48, admitted leaving the iconic show was far from an easy choice as they discussed their emotional farewell during an appearance on Friday’s This Morning.

Ant echoed: “For the show and for us personally, it’s the right thing at the right time.”

While teasing a number of long-awaited surprises for the grand final, the Geordie duo admitted they are still unsure if the show will ever be back on screen.

But there’s no need to despair as Ant and Dec provided an unforgettable legendary exit for the upcoming two-hour episode.

It will feature celebrity guests such as Simon Cowell, Davina McCall, Rylan Clark, Oti Mabuse, Amanda Holden, Dermot O’Leary, Craig David and Alison Hammond on its billing.

But there’s more to it, as the pop group Girls Aloud will also make guest appearances, as well as super-sized Singalong with S-Club, Tony Hadley and Kaiser Chiefs and show favorite Ring my Bell.

Cherishing their memories of the show, Ant said: ‘You want to make sure you get enough new stuff in and fun stuff in so it’s not all just a flashback.

“We don’t know when the show is coming back and we don’t know if we’ll ever do Ant versus Dec again, so whoever wins is the ultimate!” added Dec.

The presenting couple also admitted that there will be ‘tears’ when the show has finished and that it has been ‘pretty tough’ in the last few days leading up to the broadcast.

Dec said: ‘We said ‘We’d like to rest it, but we reserve the right to change our minds several times between now and then. And we have that. But I think we know in our hearts that it’s the right thing to do’

While teasing a number of long-awaited surprises for the grand final, the Geordie duo admitted they are still unsure if the show will ever return to screens

It will feature celebrity guests such as Simon Cowell, Davina McCall, Rylan Clark, Oti Mabuse, Amanda Holden, Dermot O’Leary, Craig David and Alison Hammond on its billing (hosts Alison and Dermot pictured)

Ant said: ‘I’m sure there will be tears. It’s been pretty tough this week knowing it’s the last week of rehearsals and script meetings and all.

“We have kind of put a lid on it until now. Until we got here and saw the scene, we thought, oh, it seems pretty final.’

Andi Peters will present her final SNT competition, while Jordan North, Josie Gibson and Scarlett Moffatt will bring joy to unsuspecting members of the public.

Last year, Ant and Dec announced they would be quitting Saturday Night Takeaway ahead of the 20th series, shocking their fans across the country.

The pair continue their exclusive partnership with ITV, hosting hit shows including I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Britain’s Got Talent and Limitless Win, all of which are shown across ITV1 and ITVX.

Ant said at the time: ‘We love doing Saturday Night Takeaway but reaching the 20 series milestone seemed like the perfect time to pause for a while and catch our breath.’

Dec added: “We’ve still got a momentous 20th series to look forward to first, so we’ll do our best to go out (so far) with a bang in 2024!”

Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, produced by Lifted Entertainment (part of ITV Studios) and Miter Studios, returns next year for its 20th series.

The series has spawned several iconic segments including Win the Ads, Undercover, Get Out Of Me Ear, The End of Show Show and The Happiest Minute of the Week.

The latest series launched in February with ITV1’s biggest overnight audience of the year, attracting 6.4 million viewers and the biggest entertainment audience across any channel.

The show’s combination of live, high energy, good fun has seen the format garner multiple BAFTA and National Television Awards since its launch in 2002.

Girls Aloud will act as the star guest announcer during the episode ahead of their upcoming tour

The show’s combination of live, high energy, good fun has seen the format garner multiple BAFTA and National Television Awards since its launch in 2002

Kevin Lygo, ITV’s managing director, media and entertainment, said: ‘When you think of Saturday night TV, you think of Saturday Night Takeaway.

“Over 20 series, the show has become a cultural phenomenon and while we eagerly look forward to what Ant & Dec have up their sleeves for the 2024 series, we fully understand their desire to take a break, take stock and think about what the next incarnation is. of the show could look like.’

Ant and Dec – who originally found fame on Byker Grove in the late 1980s – first fronted the show from 2002 to 2009 and then again from 2013 when it returned.