Ant and Dec's Emotional Tribute as ITV Axes Beloved Channel

End of an Era

Ant and Dec have paid an emotional tribute to what they called the "end of an era" after ITV announced that they are axing a beloved channel. The Geordie duo shared an old photo from their time on CITV in 1994, as the news broke that the children's morning programme was coming to an end.

The Closure of CITV

The channel, which launched in 2006, is now closing down in order to make way for a new children's streaming service called ITVX Kids. Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, who got their first big break on CITV when they presented Gimme 5, a kids' show that ran for two series, looked back fondly at their time on the channel. They captioned the snap: "End of an era" with a crying emoji.

Shared Nostalgia

Their emotional tribute resonated with former hosts on the channel and nostalgic viewers who expressed their sadness over CITV's cancellation. One fan said, "Kids today will never know the amazing childhood we had growing up with shows like this Saturday morning," while another shared memories of meeting their best friend in the CITV dressing room.