Declan Donnelly's second solo Saturday Night Takeaway in Florida was met with positive reviews from his fans, and while the star looked to enjoy the live show alongside co-hosts Stephen Mulhern and Scarlett Moffatt, he admitted that it wasn’t the same without best friend, Ant McPartlin. After the titles rolled on Saturday, the 42-year-old gave a moving speech to the audience at Universal Studios in Orlando, revealing that the show had been "tinged with sadness" without Ant by his side over the last two weeks.
Declan Donnelly presented the live final of Saturday Night Takeaway without Ant McPartlin
In a video obtained by The Sun Online, Dec told his fans: "Thanks for all the love and support, it's been a series tinged with..well.." A member of the audience then responded, saying: "We miss Ant!" to which Dec answered: "Yes, we do, we do. It's tinged with sadness." He then asked the audience: "Can you all give a round of applause for Ant who is at home." Following an enthusiastic response, Dec added: "Thank you so much, I know he will appreciate that a great, great deal."
The star was supported by co-hosts Stephen Mulhern and Scarlett Moffatt
Dec opened the show with a spectacular musical performance, which many thought was a tribute to best friend Ant - since the chosen song was Everybody Needs Somebody. Later, The Rembrandts sang I'll Be There For You for the the show's sing-a-long live segment, which seemed to be another nod in support of Ant. Following Ant's arrest for drink-driving in March, Dec made the decision to front the final two shows of the series alone.
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He said of his decision: "Whilst I never thought I'd be in this position, after much discussion and careful consideration we've decided that the remaining two shows of this series of Saturday Night Takeaway will go ahead. We made a promise to take hundreds of deserving winners to Florida to watch the series finale, and we will honour that. Everyone at ITV and the Takeaway team feels we owe it to the audience to complete the series. Dec x."