‘We might as well leave’: Ant and Dec in shock ITV ‘quitting’ bombshell

They weren’t happy

Ant and Dec have revealed they tried to quit hit ITV show Britain’s Got Talent after a lot of little annoyances built up over time.

From Saturday Night Takeaway to I’m A Celebrity, Ant and Dec have been the faces of quite a lot of shows, and fans absolutely love them.

They have become an iconic presenting duo over their many years on TV. But it seems it hasn’t always been positive for the pair. And they actually debated leaving once – because they weren’t having a “nice time”.

The duo were not happy anymore (Credit: YouTube)

Ant and Dec tried to quit Britain’s Got Talent

The Geordie duo have been at the helm of the ITV show, Britain’s Got Talent, since it first began, way back in 2007. But it seems Simon Cowell’s behaviour left them wanting out.

In a recent episode of the Stick To Football podcast, Ant and Dec opened up about not always being happy in their jobs.

Ant explained: “Simon is a really charming bloke with a great sense of humour. He is funny, generous and we get on well with him. There has always been a good relationship. We’re quite honest with him and he appreciates it.

“He asks for our opinion and trusts us. I think he respects the fact we have been doing it for as long as we have. But we have been annoyed at him a few times over the years.”

The duo proceeded to reveal that they were so annoyed they wanted to quit Britain’s Got Talent.

Ant continued: “We went to see him in LA, to tell him we were going to leave Britain’s Got Talent. We weren’t having a very nice time. He was always late. It was his period where he could never turn up on time.”

But that wasn’t the only reason they thought about leaving. Dec revealed they also felt like they weren’t in the show that much.

He explained: “We were in the show less and less. It was taking up a lot of our time and we were not really in it. We thought ‘We might as well leave and put our energies elsewhere’.”

Things have massively changed since then (Credit: YouTube)

How did Simon Cowell respond?

However, it appears Simon was very against that idea. And the second they brought it up, he promised there would be a change.

Dec said: “Simon went, ‘Oh, well no you can’t leave. I will turn up on time. And we will make sure you are featured more so that you will have more fun with it’.

“We sat there having lunch and he went, ‘I can’t believe you were thinking of leaving’. He leaned over in the restaurant, in the middle of LA, and started tickling me. He said, ‘You will never leave me’.”

And it looks like Simon was right, as Ant and Dec just recently confirmed they had signed another three year contract with ITV. So, while they still aren’t resurrecting Saturday Night Takeaway yet, we will get more Ant and Dec on our screens.

On top of their ITV shows, the best pals just announced their new ‘Banta Box’ venture, bringing short shows and podcasts to their online fans. So, 2026 seems to already be a big year for Ant and Dec!