Ant and Dec's 'ugly' physical fight that almost ended their joint TV career

Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are known for being one of the most iconic presenting duos in British TV history.

The Geordie pair, both 48, first became pals on BBC's Byker Grove in the nineties where they shot to fame playing the loveable PJ and Duncan.

Over the years, they have gone on to boast an incredibly profitable partnership, being awarded so many BAFTAs that they struggle to find room for them in their huge piles.

However, Ant and Dec's joint career almost came to an abrupt end one night back in 1995 during a boozy summer session in Spain as the pair admitted that things 'got ugly' in their book, Once Upon a Tyne: Our Story, the Mirror reports.

Lifting the lid on their lengthy friendship and sharing some shocking secrets about their rare fights, the pair explained that the argument had happened back in the nineties when they were getting ready to appear on GMTV's Fun in the Sun with Anthea Turner.

The show was being filmed live in Torremolinos, where the Newcastle lads were promoting their latest musical offering at the time.

Ant wrote in the book: "It was a special summer holiday version of the ITV breakfast show, in 1995, we were promoting Stuck On U.

"Our tour manager Kim Glover told us we had the day to ourselves before appearing on GMTV the following morning... so we went to the pub."

Like many of us do on holiday, the boys ended up having a few too many drinks and by 10pm, Dec said he wanted to go to bed due to their early start in the morning.

However, Ant wasn't ready to call it a night just yet as he remembers asking his pal: "What the hell are you going to bed for?"

Dec continued, "stumbling towards the lift," which Ant admitted "incensed me and I lost it."

He demanded: "Don't you dare walk away from me when I'm talking to you."

Dec then began "ranting" at Ant, asking "who the hell does he think he was, talking to me like that?"

He explained that Ant "was really pushing my buttons" as the pair kept arguing in the lift and when Ant tried to state his case, Dec put his fingers in his ears and started saying: "La la la la, I can't hear you."

Ant admitted that he "punched Dec in the chest" as his childish antics "made my blood boil."

Dec responded by attempting to knock the cap of Ant's head, admitting: "I didn't quite hit the target and ended up just punching the peak of his cap."

Ant added: "I proved Dec is rubbish at fighting when he's had a few."

Just two hours later, the pair were on the breakfast show, refusing to look at each other but once the cameras were rolling, their closeness returned and the duo claim they have never fought since that drunken moment almost 30 years ago.

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The I'm A Celeb hosts opened up about the key to their lifelong friendship back in 2013 after spending a huge chunk of their life not only working together but also living together.

Speaking from his home, which was just three doors down from Dec at the time, Ant told the Guardian: "Fundamentally, we've got the same relationship you see on TV, and I think that's what keeps us sane, because if we had pretended to be somebody else for this length of time, it would have all gone t*** up by now."

Dec is now married to Ali Astall while Ant tied the knot with his second wife Anne-Marie Corbett back in 2021.

The duo are now taking a break from their hugely successful Saturday Night Takeaway show which aired its final episode on April 13 as they plan to spend more time with their families.

Speaking about their hiatus, Ant told Flaunt magazine: "On a more personal level, part of the reason we're pausing Takeaway is we need a break ourselves, and we need to spend some time with our family."

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