Ant and Dec have disclosed the genuine motive behind their absence from filming Saturday Night Takeaway.

The beloved presenting pair announced last year their decision to step away from the flagship show after 20 seasons. The season finale, a two-hour extravaganza, aired on April 13, evoking evident emotions from the duo.

Since the initial announcement, both hosts have shared insights into their reasons for ending the show.

Ant kicked off their announcement in a 2023 Instagram video, stating, “You see, in 2024 it will be our 20th series of Saturday Night Takeaway, and we’ve got some very special look-backs planned, as well as some very exciting new items.” Dec added, “And we’ve also decided that our 20th series next year will be our last one for a little while.”

In an interview with Fault Magazine, Ant delved deeper into their decision, expressing, “I feel like it’s a nice time to turn the page, and it will give us time to reflect. You can’t think of a different version of Saturday Night Takeaway while Saturday Night Takeaway is on air. You need to be away from it.” Dec concurred, noting, “We started coming up with lots of ideas and going, ‘Oh, that would be amazing’. We want to give ourselves that same opportunity this time to miss the show and just see how we feel and where that takes us.”

Reflecting on their extensive TV careers, Ant shared, “When you’re in it, you don’t get a chance to look back at what you’ve done because you’re always looking at what’s next.” Dec added, “Twenty series just feels like a natural point to pause, we still have a momentous series to look forward to first.”

In an interview with the Independent, Ant expressed that ending the show “will be bittersweet, with lots of tears, but it feels like the right thing.” Dec chimed in, saying, “We don’t want to say we’ll never do it again. But we’ve both got families now. Our lives have changed dramatically. We want to step off the hamster wheel, catch our breath and decide what’s next.”