Ant and Dec are set to relaunch Britain Get Talking, ITV’s mental health campaign, following Saturday Night Takeaway.
The campaign will be back on screens this evening (March 21) to bring messages of support and love at a time when, as the UK finds itself in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic, Brits need it more than ever.
Read more: Coronavirus crisis: Saturday Night Takeaway will record without studio audience
ITV has joined forces with the charities YoungMinds and Mind to get members of the public supporting each other and talking, which reduces stress levels.
Presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly will reintroduce the initiative, which will include heartfelt messages from a number of celebrities.
Famous faces to be featured tonight and throughout the month will include TV host Davina McCall, weather presenter Alex Beresford and soap stars such as Emmerdale’s Lisa Riley and Coronation Street’s Ali Mardell.
And on Sunday, GMB‘s Susanna Reid and TV chef Gordon Ramsay will sends out Mother’s Day messages for their own mums and others across the UK.
ITV’s director of social purpose, Clare Phillips, said: “Physical isolation doesn’t have to mean social isolation. Britain has never needed to connect more, and through Britain Get Talking we want to use ITV to help people feel good, talk more and establish a feeling of unity through these challenging and unprecedented times.”
Reaching out is going to be a critical part of getting through the coming weeks.
YoungMinds chief exec Emma Thomas said: “The next few weeks are going to be a challenging time for millions of people across the country, and it’s really important that we keep supporting each other and reaching out to those who might be struggling to cope.”
Paul Farmer, chief exec at Mind, commented: “Reaching out is going to be a critical part of getting through the coming weeks and will go a long way in helping keep our spirits up.”
Sadly for fans of Saturday Night Takeaway, tonight’s episode could be Ant and Dec’s last.
Read more: Saturday Night Takeaway fans confused by win a ‘week off work’ contest amid coronavirus
Appearing alongside Dec via video link on ITV’s This Morning yesterday (Friday, March 20), Ant told Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford: “We wanted to do the show just to put a smile on other people’s faces as we might not be able to do another one.”
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