For the last seven years, Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have been the human equivalent of a warm, slightly chaotic hug at the Brits. They wrangled drunk rock stars, made cheeky jokes about Simon Cowell, and somehow kept the whole circus from collapsing into a glittery mess. But now, they’ve announced that the 2026 show was their absolute, final, cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-dance-a-terrible-routine last rodeo.
Why? Well, in true Ant and Dec fashion, they said it’s because they want to “go out on a high.” Which is basically celebrity code for “we’ve done it, we’ve got the t-shirts, and we’re tired of pretending to understand the new categories.” They also casually mentioned they have other projects. Other projects? What, like teaching the nation how to do the “Show Me The Way To Amarillo” walk again?
The Surprising Truth Nobody Saw Coming
Let’s be honest—most of us assumed they’d be propped up on that Brits stage until they were both using walking sticks that doubled as microphones. But here’s a surprising fact: Ant and Dec have actually hosted the Brits more times than any other duo in history. That’s right—seven times. They beat out the likes of Jonathan Ross, who had to take a break after accidentally insulting an entire country, and Davina McCall, who was too busy climbing walls.
Another shocker? They never actually planned to host it in the first place. Back in 2015, they were a last-minute replacement after someone else bailed, probably because they saw the catering budget for the after-party. And now, a decade later, they’ve decided to walk away while they can still remember their own names after the third glass of champagne.
