Declan Donnelly looks in good spirits as he leaves home for Florida to host final solo Saturday Night Takeaway
DECLAN Donnelly was all-smiles as he left his West London home and headed to the airport for the Saturday Night Takeaway finale.
The 42-year-old presenter will be flying solo on his way to Orlando, Florida, where he will be presenting the final episode of the ITV favourite live from Universal Studios.
After hosting for the first time in 29 years without his co-star Ant McPartlin, who has returned to rehab following a drink-drive charge, Dec has decided to go forth by himself for the final two episodes of the series.
Presenting his first show on Saturday, the star’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed and a peak of 8.3million viewers tuned in to see how he got on.
Although he didn’t mention Ant’s name, the 42-year-old Geordie star made a couple of jokey comments about his absence and at the end of the show thanked viewers for their support.
The show also featured an appearance by Stephen Merchant as guest announcer, who congratulated Dec on his baby news after it was revealed his wife Ali is expecting their first child.
Ant did make an appearance in the show, but it was only in a pre-recorded skit he had previously filmed with Dec before his arrest.
Dec was supported by his co-stars Scarlett Moffat and Stephen Mulhern, who had expanded roles on tonight's show to help fill the gap left by Ant.
Afterwards Dec admitted he'd barely slept the night before because of his nerves, but got a standing ovation from the studio audience as he first walked onto set.
The show also featured an appearance by Stephen Merchant as guest announcer, who congratulated Dec on his baby news after it was revealed his wife Ali is expecting their first child.
Dec received an outpouring of support from both fans and his famous friends, with pals including Amanda Holden getting behind him and sending sweet messages.
After this solo turn, fans have since backed Dec to continue hosting the rest of his shows without Ant.
Ant was charged with drink-driving following a collision on March 18, and is expected to appear in court on April 4.
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