Piers Morgan blasts Ant & Dec after they win big at 'snoozefest' 'NTAs'

Piers Morgan has blasted Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly following their win at Thursday night’s National Television Awards – which saw them take home the Best Presenter gong for the 20th year running.

The former Good Morning Britain host, 56, called the prestigious awards ceremony ‘pointless’ and a ‘snoozefest’ and claimed his contribution to the coronavirus pandemic was ‘more significant’.

After opting not to attend the star-studded event at London’s O2 Arena, he exclusively told MailOnline: ‘Well, I knew Ant & Dec would win. I don’t even know why they bother to count the votes. 

‘The NTAs are pointless’: Piers Morgan has blasted Ant & Dec after they won Best Presenter for the 20th year at ‘snoozefest’ awards show as his ‘contribution was more significant’ (pictured in 2020)

He had been nominated in the same category and made it no secret that he was hoping to beat the double-act, both 45.

‘We’ve just been in the middle of a pandemic in which their contribution was to interview people about eating kangaroo testicles in a Welsh castle.

‘I felt my contribution to the biggest news story of our lifetime was slightly more significant,’ said Piers, who continually held the government to account before defiantly storming off the GMB set for good in March.’

The journalist added: ‘That is the lot of anybody who works in television. There is an unwritten rule that Ant & Dec win all the awards and will continue to do so.

Victory: He had been nominated in the same category and made it no secret that he was hoping to beat Ant & Dec, both 45 (pictured)

Angry: After confirming that awards from other ceremonies do hold meaning for him, he went on to criticise ITV’s This Morning, where the Daytime trophy was collected by presenters Holly Willoughby, 40, and Phillip Schofield, 59

‘So, I don’t think they should really bother with these awards anymore because they’re sort of pointless.’ 

After confirming that awards from other ceremonies do hold meaning for him, he went on to criticise ITV’s This Morning, where the Daytime trophy was collected by presenters Holly Willoughby, 40, and Phillip Schofield, 59.

‘When you’ve got them [Ant & Dec] winning for 20 years running and you’ve got This Morning winning the Daytime one for god knows how long as well, it’s obviously just one big carve up.

‘A predictable snooze fest with no jeopardy or chance of anybody winning so it just seems to be that the NTAs have become a bit of a waste of time.

Unimpressed: The Geordie boys have taunted Piers over the years with their NTA wins, and now it seems he’s had enough of it (pictured in 2016)

Larking around: ‘We’ve just been in the middle of a pandemic in which their contribution was to interview people about eating kangaroo testicles in a Welsh castle,’ said Piers (pictured in 2020)

‘They may as well just give them their awards at home and spare everybody the schwep down to East London,’ he concluded.

It comes after the former newspaper editor sent a cheeky congratulations to the Geordie duo as he watched the show from the comfort of his own home. 

Piers hinted he felt he deserved to win as he alluded to how he held the government to account on Good Morning Britain during the pandemic.

He wrote: ‘Wow! What a shock! Congrats to Ant & Dec. Thoroughly deserved 20th consecutive win – the way they held those jungle contestants to account during the pandemic was absolutely brilliant.’

Tough: Piers was infamous for holding the government to account during his Good Morning Britain tenure (pictured in 2020 alongside Susanna Reid)

He then shared the now infamous clip of himself storming out of the Good Morning Britain studio during a disagreement with Alex Beresford over his opinion on Meghan Markle.

Alongside the clip, he wrote: ‘Just as well I’m not there #ntas’. 

Also nominated in the Best Presenter category were Holly Willoughby, Alison Hammond and Bradley Walsh.

Honest: Piers hinted he felt he deserved to win as he alluded to how he held the government to account on Good Morning Britain during the pandemic

Not happy: Piers then shared the now infamous clip of himself storming out of the Good Morning Britain studio during a disagreement with Alex Beresford over his opinion on Meghan Markle

NATIONAL TELEVISION AWARDS 2021: THE WINNERS

Challenge Show 

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins

Love Island

WINNER: The Great British Bake Off

The Great British Sewing Bee

New Drama

Bridgerton

Des

WINNER: It’s A Sin

Normal People

Talent Show

Britain’s Got Talent

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK

WINNER: Strictly Come Dancing

The Masked Singer

Tasty! Bake Off won the Challenge Show prize 

Authored Documentary

WINNER: Kate Garraway: Finding Derek

Katie Price: Harvey and Me

Marcus Rashford: Feeding Britain’s Children

Rob Burrow: My Year With MND

Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency

Touching: The Authored Documentary winner was Kate Garraway: Finding Derek

Returning Drama

Call the Midwife

WINNER: Line of Duty

The Crown

Unforgotten

TV Presenter

Alison Hammond

WINNER: Ant and Dec

Bradley Walsh

Holly Willoughby

Piers Morgan

Factual

Caroline Flack: Her Life and Death

WINNER: Gogglebox

Gordon, Gino and Fred: American Road Trip

Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs

Drama Performance

Adrian Dunbar, Ted Hastings, Line of Duty

WINNER: David Tennant, Dennis Nilsen, Des

Martin Compston, Steve Arnott, Line of Duty

Olly Alexander, Ritchie Tozer, It’s A Sin

Vicky McClure, Kate Fleming, Line of Duty

 

The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award

Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway

WINNER: I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

Taskmaster

The Graham Norton Show

You lose some, you win some! Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway was up for a prize, but the duo’s other show, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! scooped the gong

Serial Drama

WINNER: Coronation Street

EastEnders

Emmerdale

Hollyoaks

Serial Drama Performance

Billy Price, Sid Sumner, Hollyoaks

Danny Dyer, Mick Carter, EastEnders

WINNER: Mollie Gallagher, Nina Lucas, Coronation Street

Sally Carman, Abi Franklin, Coronation Street

Quiz Game Show

WINNER: Beat The Chasers

Celebrity Catchphrase

In For A Penny

Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel

Newcomer

Emile John, Ethan Anderson, Emmerdale 

WINNER: Jude Riordan, Sam Blakeman, Coronation Street

Olivia D’Lima, Paramedic Fenisha Khatri, Casualty

Rhiannon Clements, Summer Ranger, Hollyoaks

Rose Ayling-Ellis, Frankie Lewis, EastEnders

Winner! Mollie Gallagher, who plays Nina Lucas in Coronation Street, bagged herself a gong

Daytime

Loose Women

The Chase

The Repair Shop

WINNER: This Morning

Comedy

WINNER: After Life

Friday Night Dinner

Sex Education

The Vicar of Dibley