Nadia Sawalha pulls out of the NTAs with suspected Covid

Nadia Sawalha pulls out of the NTAs with suspected Covid after hosts Ant and Dec also contracted the virus

  • Loose Women’s Nadia is the latest celeb to pull out of attending this year’s NTAs 
  • She shared a video from her sickbed where she is suffering flu like symptoms
  • She pondered whether she had contracted a new strain of Covid 
  •  Nadia is up for the Best Daytime going alongside her Loose Women co-stars
  • Ant and Dec have also pulled out of attending the after testing positive for Covid

Loose Women’s Nadia Sawalha is the latest celeb to pull out of attending this year’s NTAs at London’s OVO Arena, Wembley on Thursday due to illness.

The actress, 57, shared a video from her sickbed on Wednesday where she is suffering flu like symptoms and pondered whether she had in fact contracted a new strain of Covid despite her tests proving negative.

Nadia’s announcement comes after fellow stars Ant & Dec confirmed they would not be attending the star-studded bash after they both been struck down with the virus. 

No show: Loose Women’s Nadia Sawalha, 57, is the latest celeb to pull out of attending this year’s NTAs at London’s OVO Arena, Wembley on Thursday due to illness

In the video Nadia, who is up for the Best Daytime gong alongside her Loose Women co-stars, showed off her invitation to the swanky bash. 

She croaked: ‘Look what I just got delivered on a bike. It’s very fancy. National Television Awards,’

‘There it all is. Guess who won’t be going to the National Television Awards?’.

Sick: The actress shared a video from her sickbed where she is suffering flu like symptoms and pondered whether she had contracted a new strain of Covid despite her tests proving negative

No go: Nadia sadly showed off her invitation to the swanky bash that she can no longer attend

She continued: ‘I’ve got such a lovely dress – I’ve got three lovely dresses I can choose from.

‘My friend Simone was coming over to do my make-up, I’m supposed to be going with my friend Jordan in the car.

‘Jane [Moore] and Kaye [Adams] are going. All the girls are going. Party afterwards. Nope.’

Hard work: Nadia is up for the Best Daytime gong alongside her Loose Women co-stars (Pictured with Carol McGiffin)

Later taking to her Instagram Stories the actress shared a fun snap as she stared into the camera with tissues up one nostril. 

She wrote: ‘This b****** cold hasn’t finished with me yet’ as she took a poll on whether her followers had also been struck down with the condition.  

It comes after Ant and Dec have pulled out of attending the event as well as Britain’s Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician after being struck down with Covid, MailOnline can reveal.

Under the weather: Later taking to her Instagram Stories the actress shared a fun snap as she stared into the camera with tissues up one nostril

The TV duo, who have won best presenter at the NTAs for 20 consecutive years, are suffering from flu-like symptoms and are ‘bed bound’ with the contagious infection.

A Britain’s Got Talent spokesperson announced on Wednesday that the pair are ‘unwell’ and won’t be working until they recover.

A source told MailOnline: ‘Ant and Dec are gutted. They love the NTAs, it’s the best night in TV, and for them it’s an event they always look forward to.

Oh no! It comes after Ant and Dec have pulled out of attending the event as well as Britain’s Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician after being struck down with Covid, MailOnline can reveal

‘They’re both feeling really poorly but will be watching the show from bed and hope to be well and working again soon.’

A spokesperson for Ant and Dec told MailOnline: ‘After both feeling unwell Ant and Dec have tested for Covid and unfortunately have both tested positive. 

‘The duo will be postponing work commitments whilst they recover.’ 

The pair confirmed the news on their Instagram account, sharing a picture of their positive tests as they quipped: ‘we even get ill together!’  

Their absence at the star-studded NTAs won’t go unnoticed by viewers, who have voted for Ant and Dec to win best presenter for over two decades.

But this year This Morning host Alison Hammond, 47, is tipped to finally end their winning streak.

A friendly face: BGT’s favourite magician, Stephen Mulhern has stepped in to take over from Ant and Dec on the special 

Oh dear: The pair confirmed the news on their Instagram account, sharing a picture of their positive tests as they quipped: ‘we even get ill together!’

Stephen Mulhern, 45, will be replacing them as host of the Britain’s Got Talent special which was recorded in Birmingham on Tuesday night. 

A Britain’s Got Talent spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Ant and Dec are both unwell and have postponed all work commitments until they recover. 

‘Sadly, this means they were unable to film Britain’s Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician. Whilst we wish them a speedy recovery, we are thrilled to confirm that BGT’s favourite magician, Stephen Mulhern has stepped in.’

The BGT special was announced earlier this week and there is currently no on-air date released. 

American magician Pen Jillette was announced as a guest judge alongside the regular panel. 

Their last work commitment saw them film in South Africa for the All Stars I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! series. 

Last year, Ant and Dec scooped the Best Presenter gong for an epic 20th time in a row at the National Television Awards (pictured)

The NTAs are a major event for the dynamic hosting duo.

Last year, they scooped the best TV presenter gong for an epic 20th time in a row, with an emotional Ant seen clutching his wife Anne-Marie as their names were announced.

In 2021, the Geordie duo beat off competition from the likes of Piers Morgan, Holly Willoughby, Alison Hammond, and Bradley Walsh to win the coveted award.

They are up for several prizes at this year’s event including yet another nod in the TV presenter category.

What’s more, their shows Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! are up for The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award, while Britain’s Got Talent, which they also host, has a nod for the best talent show.

Abroad: Their last work commitment saw them film in South Africa for the All Stars I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! series 

It comes after Ant and Dec recently saw the value of one of their businesses sink by more than £2million in a year in a rare financial setback.

The TV stars own a ‘creative ideas company’ and its value has reduced from £3.5million to £1.4million

The pair’s company – known as Mitre Studios Limited – brainstorms new TV show ideas which can be developed and sold on. 

New accounts reveal that the company’s cash reserves slumped between 2020 and 2021 during the height of the pandemic. 

Ant and Dec’s NTAs success

Ant and Dec have won the Best Presenter award at the National Television Awards a record 20 times.

The pair won the gong for the first time at the 2001 ceremony and they have won every single year since.

After their 18th win in 2019, the duo were presented with the Guinness World Record for the most Best Presenter awards consecutively.

Prior to Ant and Dec’s unstoppable success, Michael Barrymore was the last person to claim the award in 2000.

Speaking after their 20th win, Ant said: ‘We were talking in the car on the way here and the first year we won an NTA, Tony Blair was the prime minister and Newcastle United qualified for the Champions League. It just goes to show how long ago it was.

He added: ‘But do you know what? This one means the most. 20 years. This is really, really special. You have no idea how special this is.’ 

 

The company paid a corporation tax bill in 2021 of £98,351 which would translate to profits of around £500,000, up from the previous year when the tax bill was £72,679.

It is the first year that the firm’s value has fallen, having risen steadily each year since 2015 when it was worth around £700,000. 

While reserves may be down, the pair are unlikely to be overly concerned as they both have fortunes estimated at £62 million from their careers.

They are also reported to have recently agreed a new £30 million deal earlier this year to keep them with ITV for the next five years.

THE 2022 NATIONAL TELEVISION AWARDS NOMINEES

NEW DRAMA 

Heartstopper

This Is Going To Hurt

Time

Trigger Point 

 

TALENT SHOW 

Britain’s Got Talent

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK

Strictly Come Dancing

The Masked Singer 

 

AUTHORED DOCUMENTARY 

Julia Bradbury: Breast Cancer and Me 

Kate Garraway: Caring for Derek

Katie Price: What Harvey Did Next

Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism

Tom Parker: Inside My Head 

 

RETURNING DRAMA 

Bridgerton

Call the Midwife

Peaky Blinders

The Split 

 

TV PRESENTER

Alison Hammond

Ant & Dec

Bradley Walsh

Graham Norton 

 

FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT

Clarkson’s Farm

Gogglebox

Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs

The Great British Bake Off 

 

DRAMA PERFORMANCE 

Cillian Murphy, Thomas Shelby, Peaky Blinders

Jonathan Bailey, Anthony Bridgerton, Bridgerton

Nicola Walker, Hannah, The Split

Vicky McClure, Lana Washington, Trigger Point 

 

THE BRUCE FOSRYTH ENTERTAINMENT AWARD 

Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway 

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 

Taskmaster

The Graham Norton Show

SERIAL DRAMA

Coronation Street

EastEnders

Emmerdale

Neighbours 

 

EXPERT

 Jay Blades

Kaleb Cooper

Martin Lewis

Sir David Attenborough

 

SERIAL DRAMA PERFORMANCE 

Mark Charnock, Marlon Dingle, Emmerdale

Paige Sandhu, Meena Jutla, Emmerdale

Rose Ayling-Ellis, Frankie Lewis, EastEnders

 

QUIZ GAME SHOW 

Beat the Chasers

In for a Penny

Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel

The 1% Club

 

RISING STAR 

Charithra Chandran, Edwina Sharma, Bridgerton

Joe Locke, Charlie Spring, Heartstopper

Kit Connor, Nick Nelson, Heartstopper

Paddy Bever, Max Turner, Coronation Street 

 

DAYTIME 

Loose Women

The Chase

The Repair Shop

This Morning

 

COMEDY

After Life

Derry Girls

Not Going Out

Sex Education

 

TALENT SHOW JUDGE

Anton Du Beke

David Walliams

Mo Gilligan

RuPaul

 

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