Declan Donnelly must well and truly be feeling the love from all his fans after the past couple of weeks.
He was showered with praise and support after flying solo on Saturday Night Takeaway for the first time in 30 years as a presenter.
And, as he took to the stage for the final of the series, once again without his partner and best pal, Ant McPartlin, good will was all around him.
A consummate professional, Dec stormed last night’s show in Florida, with no hint of the nerves and apprehension viewers clocked at the beginning of last week’s episode.
He warmly thanked everyone at home for the love and support they had shown throughout the series, just as the credits rolled.
And now it’s emerged that he opened up to the British crowd the ITV show had flown out to America, admitting that it had been “fun” but “tinged with sadness”.
Here’s a beautiful mention from Dec after tonight’s #SaturdayNightTakeaway asking the audience to give applause to Ant. pic.twitter.com/j2CkDyBJUo
— Ant and Dec OBE (@Team_AntandDec) 7 April 2018
He then asked the audience for a round of applause for Ant, “who is back at home”.
Dec added: “He’ll appreciate that.”
Ant has currently stepped away from TV work, to concentrate on recuperating his health after being charged with drink-driving last month.
Last night Dec was supported by show regulars Scarlett Moffatt and Stephen Mulhern.
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He opened the show by showing off his singing and dancing skills, delighting viewers with his rendition of Everybody Needs Somebody To Love while accompanied by a Blues Brothers tribute act.
Dec also had the audience laughing as he joked it “literally just started to rain” during the live broadcast.
Ant made a brief appearance in a pre-recorded comedy sketch for the show called Saturday Knight Takeaway.
The segment also starred the likes of Joanna Lumley, Noel Edmonds, Judy Murray, Emilia Fox, Katie Price, Bill Roache and Gareth Malone.
The show also featured R&B star Jason Derulo, actress Denise Richards as the guest announcer, singer Craig David as the resident and pop duo The Rembrandts.
The American pop-rock duo performed their classic hit and Friends theme tune I’ll Be There For You in an interactive segment, which saw three viewers in different locations in the UK tasked with filling in the missing words.
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Dec made a humorous guest appearance during Jason’s performance at the end of the show, joining him on stage clad in a colourful conga-style costume and showing off his moves.
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