Ant and Dec had a ‘physical fight’ which went very wrong (Image: ITV)
are one of the most beloved presenting duos in British television history.
The Geordie pair, both 48, first met on the set of ‘s Byker Grove in the 1990s, where they rose to fame playing the endearing PJ and Duncan.
Throughout their careers, they have enjoyed an extremely successful partnership, accumulating numerous BAFTA awards that they struggle to display in their spacious homes.
However, their joint career nearly came to a sudden end one evening in 1995 during a drunken summer escapade in Spain, as revealed in their book, Once Upon a Tyne: Our Story.
In the book, the pair opens up about their long-standing friendship and shares some shocking secrets about their rare disputes, including an argument that occurred in the 1990s when they were preparing to appear on GMTV’s Fun in the Sun with Anthea Turner.
The show was being broadcast live from Torremolinos, where the Newcastle duo was promoting their latest musical release at the time.
Ant and Dec had a silly bust-up but quickly recovered (Image: Tim Roney/Getty Images)
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Ant wrote in the book: “It was a special summer holiday version of the ITV breakfast show, in 1995, we were promoting Stuck On U.”
“Our tour manager Kim Glover told us we had the day to ourselves before appearing on GMTV the following morning… so we went to the pub.”
Like many people on holiday, the boys ended up having one too many drinks, and by 10 pm, Dec decided he wanted to go to bed due to their early start the next morning. However, Ant wasn’t prepared to end the night there and recalls questioning his mate: “What the hell are you going to bed for? “.
Dec proceeded, “stumbling towards the lift,” a move which Ant confessed “incensed me and I lost it.”
He demanded: “Don’t you dare walk away from me when I’m talking to you.”
Dec then started “ranting” at Ant, challenging him with “who the hell does he think he was, talking to me like that? “.
Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are fan favourites on ITV (Image: Getty Images)
He detailed that Ant “was really pushing my buttons” as they continued to squash their disagreement in the elevator, and when Ant attempted to defend himself, Dec shoved his fingers in his ears, jeering: “La la la la, I can’t hear you.”
Ant acknowledged that he “punched Dec in the chest” unable to keep cool due to his puerile behavior “made my blood boil.”
Dec retaliated by trying to hit Ant’s cap off his head, conceding: “I didn’t quite hit the target and ended up just punching the peak of his cap.”
Ant declared: “I proved Dec is rubbish at fighting when he’s had a few.”
Merely two hours on, the duo were presenting on a breakfast show together, pointedly avoiding each other’s gaze, but as soon as they went live, their famous rapport resurfaced and they express they haven’t had an altercation since that tipsy dispute nearly 30 years ago.