The NTAs no-shows: Why TV’s biggest stars including Claudia Winkleman, Holly Willoughby and Ant and Dec snubbed the award’s 30th anniversary

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As a lifestyle enthusiast, I’d say that the National Television Awards mark a truly spectacular event on the British television calendar. It’s the night when the glitz and glamour of the small screen comes alive, with a multitude of TV personalities gracing the red carpet in all their dazzling glory.

This year, there seemed to be significantly less high-profile glitz and glamour at the event, as popular figures like Holly Willoughby from ITV, up-and-coming talent Owen Cooper, and the Strictly Come Dancing crew all chose not to attend the ceremony.

It’s worth mentioning that Ant and Dec were not present this time, as they didn’t win the Best Presenter Award for the first time in two decades.

Despite not being present during the announcement, the Geordie pair missed winning against Gary Lineker that evening since they were busy filming “I’m A Celebrity: All Stars” instead.

Prior to the event, they recorded a video message for their supporters, where Ant expressed his apologies for not being able to attend that night. He added that they were currently in South Africa instead.

After a turbulent year for Strictly Come Dancing, the series returned victoriously by winning a television talent show. However, during this comeback, neither the hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman nor any of the professional dancers were present.

This implied that Claudia didn’t get a chance to vote for the cast of The Traitors in the top reality show category.

instead, JB Gill, a finalist from the previous year, received the recognition; he made sure to acknowledge Tess and Claudia in his acceptance speech.

It has since come to light that the present Strictly team had to miss the ceremony due to their prior engagement of recording the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing launch, which is scheduled to broadcast on Saturday.

As a devoted admirer, I was truly disappointed to learn that last year’s victor, Chris McCausland, wasn’t around this time. However, it seems he’s been keeping busy with a nationwide comedy tour instead! What a star, always on the move and making us laugh!

On that particular evening, another standout success was the Netflix show titled “Adolescence” – a series that shattered viewership records when it debuted.

At the NTAs, the series triumphantly won the award for Best Drama. However, unfortunately, the show’s leading actors-Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters, and Owen Cooper-were not present to receive the accolade.

Instead, a video message from Owen was played on stage, which had been previously recorded, expressing heartfelt gratitude towards Amari Bacchus, Mark Herbert, Jo Hartley, Emily Feller, Fatima Bojang (his co-stars), as well as his collaborators and fans.

He expressed surprise, stating that he never imagined the impact ‘Adolescence’ would have on his life as it has.

The votes from the viewers clearly demonstrate how impactful and powerful our show turned out to be.

As a devoted fan, I later found out that our beloved cast had flown over to America for the Emmy Awards happening on Sunday evening. It seems our show, Adolescence, is highly anticipated to secure a victory in these prestigious awards.

In that instance when the show “Gavin & Stacey” received the award for Best Comedy, it’s worth noting that the co-creator, James Corden, wasn’t present on stage along with the main actors, Mathew Horne and Joanna Page.

James is at the moment performing on Broadway in New York, specifically in the play ‘Art’. After receiving the award, he expressed his gratitude towards fans on Instagram for their votes.

It wasn’t made obvious why Joanna and Matthew weren’t present, but they both expressed their joy over the victory on social media as well.

I, as a devoted follower, chose not to attend the ceremony, but my producer husband, Dan Baldwin, represented us instead. (Holly Willoughby is referred to as ‘I’ as a literary device)

Many members of the Loose Women team were absent at the awards, with only Linda Robson, Katie Piper, Charlene White, Kelle Bryan, Olivia Attwood, and Frankie Bridge attending the event.

At the event held at London’s O2 Arena on Wednesday, Gary Lineker, This Morning, and EastEnders emerged as some of the major winners.

For its 30th anniversary, Joel Dommett hosted the awards broadcasted on ITV1. The winners were chosen by the public through a voting process.

Or more casually:
For their 30th birthday, Joel Dommett was in charge, and ITV1 aired the awards show. Who won was decided by the public’s vote.

During the event, a significant shock unfolded: Gary, at last, managed to break Ant & Dec’s 23-year winning run for Best Presenter, with his victory at the age of 64.

During his heartfelt acceptance speech, the passionate speaker took a subtle yet direct jab at his contentious exit from Match of the Day, asserting that “it’s important to stand up for those who can’t speak for themselves.

Following a two-decade long career, Gary concluded his last performance in May. This was prompted by a controversial Instagram post he made supporting Palestine, which included a Zionism reference symbolizing a rat. Due to the anti-Semitic undertones of this emoji, Gary faced backlash. He issued an apology but ultimately resigned from his hosting position.

Speaking to the NTAs crowd, he admitted ‘it’s not lost on me why I might have won this award…

It seems to suggest that occasionally, it might be appropriate for us to express views that represent people who can’t do so themselves.

Two years after suffering a tough loss to The Repair Shop, This Morning once more triumphed in the Best Daytime category, marking a resurgence for them.

Additionally, this victory was a historic moment for the fresh hosting duo of Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley as Alison Hammond shared her feelings about being humbled by the previous two defeats with the audience.

In addition, Strictly Come Dancing was crowned the winner of the Best Talent Show award, proving their resilience amidst a tumultuous year filled with scandals and heated debates.

Unfortunately, conflicts with this year’s show taping schedule prevented Tess Daly, Claudia Winkleman, and the judges from attending the awards ceremony to receive the award.

After a much-anticipated comeback during Christmas, the cherished sitcom “Gavin & Stacey” was awarded the title of Best Comedy. Ruth Jones and Larry Lamb were the recipients of the award, proudly accepting the trophy.

In simpler terms, Jeremy Clarkson’s popular series, “Clarkson’s Farm,” emerged as the front-runner in its category. During this instance, Clarkson playfully mentioned to the audience that he was currently undergoing treatment with the weight-loss injection known as Wegovy (Mounjaro is a brand name).

Yet, Stacey Solomon encountered another setback, stemming from the disappointment of earlier this year when she didn’t win at the BAFTAs. Her factual series, Sort Your Life Out, once more failed to secure an NTA award, and she also missed out on winning Best Presenter.

This year, Liz Hurley and Rob Rinder revealed that the victor of the Reality Contest, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, was announced. The reigning Jungle Monarch, Danny Jones, graciously accepted the title along with his fellow cast members from the 2024 lineup, appearing on stage together.

Moreover, Netflix’s Adolescence emerged victorious during primetime, as it clinched the title of Best New Drama over Disney+’s competitors. Additionally, the young talent, Owen Cooper, was recognized with the accolade of Best Drama Performance for his portrayal of the sinister character, Jamie Miller.

During a touching evening, actresses Jessie Wallace and Michelle Ryan awarded Steve McFadden the Serial Drama Performance accolade on EastEnders. Overwhelmed by the recognition for his portrayal of Phil Mitchell’s mental health struggle, Steve couldn’t suppress his tears.

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On a heartfelt night, EastEnders stars Jessie Wallace and Michelle Ryan presented the Serial Drama Performance award to Steve McFadden. Moved by the honor for his portrayal of Phil Mitchell’s mental health turmoil, Steve couldn’t hide his emotions as tears flowed.

Furthermore, the Walford cast had much to rejoice over, for the event concluded with EastEnders being awarded the prestigious Best Soap Opera prize.

The evening commenced with comedian Michael McIntyre earning a significant victory for his Big Show, as he was honored with the Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award.

This year, Lee Mack’s The 1% Club, a popular quiz show hosted by the comedian, was crowned the best in its category. On stage, Mack took jabs at Gary, adding humor to the proceedings.

In the end, Vera’s last series didn’t win for Best Returning Drama; instead, that title went to Call The Midwife on BBC.

On that particular evening, Molly Mae Hague, a previous Love Island contestant, took home the honor for the category of Authored Documentary.

Her show, detailing her split with Tommy Fury from the previous year, managed to outshine strong contenders like Boyzone: No Matter What, Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, Rob Burrow’s series, and Freddie Flintoff’s offering.

During the event, the popular animated BBC series Wallace and Gromit was honored with a special recognition award. Nick Park, its creator, accepted the prestigious award.

For the second consecutive year, Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks hosted the grand entrance event on the red carpet, and they even had the opportunity to present an award on stage, symbolically giving out a “gong”.

The NTAs (National Television Awards) were set up in 1995 with the aim of allowing the general public to express their opinions about recognizing television talent, since before this point, awards had only been given out by individuals within the television industry.

The event is often referred to as a “tribute to the country’s most cherished celebrities and programs.” People were given the chance to cast their votes through mail, phone, or online methods.

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2025-09-11 13:05