Ant and Dec confirm reason they’ve been forced to pull out of Britain’s Got Talent special and NTAs

Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly's absence from the National Television Awards has been explained in advance after they were forced to pull out of filming for a Britain's Got Talent special after becoming 'unwell'.

The hosting duo were expected to present a new spin-off of the hit ITV talent show, Britain’s Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician. The two-hour-long show will feature Penn Jillette, best known for being one half of world-famous duo Penn & Teller, as a guest judge in place of Simon Cowell.

The show will see 10 of the world's biggest names in magic compete for a £50,000 prize fund. However, it was revealed early on Wednesday (October 12) that Ant and Dec have been replaced as hosts of the show after being struck down with illness.

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A Britain's Got Talent spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Ant and Dec are both unwell and have postponed all work commitments until they recover. Sadly, this means they were unable to film Britain’s Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician.." The spokesperson added: "Whilst we wish them a speedy recovery, we are thrilled to confirm that BGT’s favourite magician, Stephen Mulhern has stepped in."

A representative for the pair have since confirmed to The Sun that the presenting partnership have been struck down with Covid. They told the publication: "After both feeling unwell Ant and Dec have tested for Covid and unfortunately have both tested positive. The duo will be postponing work commitments whilst they recover."

This means that Ant, 47, and Dec, 46, also will be unable to attend the National Television Awards. The annual awards bash, which was postponed last month