NTA viewers 'in disbelief' as Ant and Dec lose 23-year winning streak - and skip ceremony

NTA viewers were left in shock during Wednesday night's ceremony as Ant and Dec were beaten to the Best Presenter crownfor the first time in 24 years. The duo weren't in attendance at the O2, as they're away filming for I'm A Celebrity All Stars in South Africa.

The award was taken by Gary Lineker who left his long time position as presenter of BBC's Match of the Day following the end of last season. For the past 24 years, no one else has been able to get a look in as Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have dominated the category, but tonight, their reign came to a shock end.

Fans couldn't believe the Geordie duo had finally been defeated, as they took to X, formerly known as Twitter to express their shock.

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Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one viewer said: "Gary Lineker beat Ant & Dec? What the actual f**k! #NTAs, while another wrote: "Has it actually HAPPENED? #NTAs"

"I knew Gary Lineker would win!!! What a message to send!!" another wrote. "No way! Gary Lineker just broke Ant & Dec’s winning streak on the NTA’s!" another exclaimed.

Taking to the stage, Gary called the award the "Ant and Dec award" as he said it "wasn't lost on him" why he had taken home the award for the first time.

As he was greeted by huge cheers in the crowd, the former MOD presenter said: "Thank you to everybody who voted for me. Hugely appreciated. It's amazing.

"I remember when I first started to present MOD a quarter of a century ago and there were two young Geordies who were just making a name for themselves. And I thought these boys are going to win the NTA award every single year until Newcastle win a trophy."

He continued: "It's not lost on me why I might have won this award. Aside from presenting MOD, the most iconic football show." He then went on to thank the crew in front, and behind the camera, saying he wouldn't be here without them.

"Perhaps it's okay for us sometimes for us to use our platform to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice. So thank you, it means the world."

Earlier this year, Lineker left the BBC following a series of controversies related to his social media activity, specifically a post in May 2025 concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that included a rat emoji.

The rat image has been historically used in antisemitic propaganda and while Lineker said sorry for sharing the post, explaining he was unaware of the image, he said he "would never knowingly share anything antisemitic".

However, the controversy led to the BBC confirming his early exit from the show, and also stated he would not be part of their coverage for the 2026 World Cup or the 2025/26 FA Cup.

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