‘I wasn’t sure how you were going to react…’ Dec gave a very emotional speech off-air

He fronted Saturday Night Takeaway alone - following Ant McPartlin's arrest for drink-driving.

And while he didn't mention his sidekick's absence on air, it seems Declan Donnelly gave an emotional speech once the cameras stopped rolling. Yes, when the show had finally wrapped, the TV host addressed the studio and crew - welling up as they gave him a standing ovation. "It’s been the weirdest, weirdest show," he admitted, adding: "That reception when I came down the stairs... I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. "I wasn’t sure how I was going to do or how you were going to react... but you carried me all the way through the show." The Sun also says that Dec stated: "I couldn’t have done it without you guys. Thank you." Saturday Night Takeaway this weekend was watched by more than eight million people. https://twitter.com/antanddec/status/980216439478128641 After the airing, Dec had tweeted his thanks "for all your lovely messages tonight," adding: "They are VERY much appreciated." He also said: "I’m glad you enjoyed the show. I didn’t sleep an awful lot last night, so I’m off to bed!" The Tweet eventually notched up more than 140,000 likes from his supportive fans. Next week sees the final SNT of the series. It will be broadcast live from Universal Studios in Florida.