Declan Donnelly is set to present the 'Britain's Got Talent' live finals by himself.

Declan Donnelly

Declan Donnelly

The 42-year-old television host is best known for his work as part of the presenting double act Ant and Dec alongside Anthony McPartlin, and the duo have presented the ITV talent competition together since its conception in 2007.

However, after Ant was arrested on suspicion drink driving last month, the star has stepped down from his television commitments in order to deal with his problems, leaving Dec to present the programme by himself.

A statement from ITV said: "Dec will be hosting the live shows which for the first time ever are coming from the Hammersmith Apollo while Ant steps down from his TV commitments for now. We send Ant all our love. And we know that Dec will do a brilliant job."

Dec will only be presenting the live portion of the programme by himself, as the auditions were recorded back in January, before Ant was charged with his drink-driving offence.

The news comes after Dec was recently left to host the final two episodes of 'Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway' by himself.

Dec was visibly upset during the series finale, which was filmed in Orlando, Florida, and admitted the show felt "tinged with sadness".

After the show finished, he told the live audience members: "Thanks for all the love and support, it's been a series tinged with... well..."

As he struggled to finish the sentence, one audience member shouted: "We miss Ant!"

Dec replied: "Yes, we do, we do. It's tinged with sadness. Can you all give a one round of applause for Ant who is at home."

The audience began to clap, and the clearly-moved star said: "Thank you so much, I know he will appreciate that a great, great deal."