Ant and Dec's wax figures return to Madame Tussauds Blackpool after makeover
Presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly's wax figures have been returned to Madame Tussauds Blackpool after undergoing a transformation.
Originally unveiled in 2016, the I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! presenter's figures were taken away for a makeover in September and are now back on display at the Promenade attraction.
The Geordie duo, popularly known as Ant & Dec, sat for the revamp of their wax figures, which have been updated with a current, up-to-date look.
The pair are on display among I'm a Celebrity memorabilia including a Bush Tucker Trial sign, a winners wall and artefacts from the programme.
Madame Tussauds Blackpool is home to more than 80 crafted wax figures, including Freddie Mercury, The Beatles, Sir David Attenborough and Harry Styles.
Madame Tussauds wax figures typically take a team of around 20 skilled artists three to four months to make and involve more than 200 different measurements being taken, as well as every hair being inserted individually by hand.
Jenn McDonough, general manager at Merlin Entertainments plc, said: 'We are delighted to welcome Ant and Dec's wax figures back to their Blackpool home.
'As fan favourite figures, their return has been eagerly anticipated by visitors and locals alike, and we are excited for visitors to see their new, updated look.'
Ant & Dec first met as child actors on CBBC's drama Byker Grove and performed together as pop musicians PJ & Duncan.
The duo have since pursued careers as television presenters, and currently host I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, Britain's Got Talent, and Limitless Win.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The National
5 hours ago
- The National
Palestinian jazz singer to share rich musical heritage in Edinburgh
The Manchester-born Palestinian singer Reem Kelani is set to play The Queen's Hall in Edinburgh on June 21 as part of this year's Refugee Week and is aiming to showcase the rich heritage of Palestinian songs. Considered the unofficial musical cultural ambassador for Palestinians in the UK, Reem is a musician who studies the cultural musical heritage of Palestine to help safeguard it as she teaches it to children. 'For me, it's like a manifestation of my being, so it's not that I found this career or this career found me, I was just born with a voice,' she told The National. READ MORE: Europe's first museum of Palestinian art opens in Scotland Reem first started singing at just four years old, her first song was about Palestine. 'It was after what Israel calls the Six Day War, so there was an overwhelming sense of defeat,' she said. Reem said she was standing on a stage singing a song about Jerusalem, and at first everyone seemed very happy, but all of a sudden, they all 'broke into tears'. She added that her four-year-old self was worried that she had a terrible singing voice, but then everyone 'burst into laughter'. Since that day, she said the song has always been associated with Palestine's laughter and tears. Singing is a seminal part of Reem's life, who said she prefers teaching kids about music rather than being on the stage. Originally trained as a biologist, Reem worked for four years in the fields of marine biology, but switched from researching fish to researching traditional songs and teaching them to kids. (Image: Brian Homer) One of Reem's songs, Sprinting Gazelle, is even now taught in the national curriculum in England as she shares her joy of Arabic and Palestinian music with young people. Reem's life is denoted by moments infused with music, as she described another important memory of hers, when she learnt her own cultural identity when she attended a wedding in a small village in Palestine, aged just nine years old. It was the first time she had visited Palestine. Born in Manchester, Reem grew up in Kuwait and said she 'didn't know who she was' until then. 'I can even smell to this day, the food that was being cooked that night, the music, the songs, I was singing, there were all these people,' Reem said. 'In Kuwait, they always have their weddings in hotels, but there, it was in a proper Palestinian village, and everybody was invited. 'There wasn't a Western band with men with bellbottom trousers and beards and mustaches playing Abba and The Beatles,' Reem joked. She added: 'I am just in this village, and to see women the way they were proud of singing and dancing, and it's very much similar to the Scottish women when they're doing the walking songs, that sense of collective just captured me.' Reem has her own connection with Scotland, her father studied as a physician in Glasgow, and she also spent time in Millport while she underwent her own studies. She has since come back numerous times and performed in a variety of shows across Scotland, including at the ever-popular Celtic Connections, and has even taken her music to Stornoway. (Image: Simon Pizzey Photographer) Reem drew parallels with Arabic music and Scottish folk songs, explaining they are both built on modes and not scales, adding that with her performances, there is a 'call and response' type of relationship with her and the audience. 'I just love performing in Scotland and Ireland,' Reem said. 'It's just something about Celtic people. 'It's something about the appreciation of music, the understanding of these notes.' She explained there is a deep sense of connection between Scots and Palestinians when it comes to their culture due to their national instrument – the bagpipe. Reem added that the bagpipe, which is also played in the southwest of Spain, helps to 'unite' the culture between the three. 'It's a very gut feeling inside me that something connects these cultures that they all have the bagpipes in common,' she said. (Image: Supplied) Reem added: 'Before the British mandate, AKA the British occupation, Palestinians had their own indigenous bagpipes, but since then they use the Scottish Highland pipes instead. 'You're talking about kind of the affinity with the kind of the instruments, instead of tartan on the bagpipe, you have the fabric of the Palestinians, the black and white one, or the red and white one.' Reem said she hopes that those who attend her concert in Edinburgh will be transported back to the Palestinian village where she attended a wedding when she was just nine years old through her music. She joked that she is sad she can't provide the wonderful food that was on offer that evening to go alongside the show. 'The wedding speaks of the existence of cultural identity,' Reem said. 'We are here. We've always existed. We are indigenous to the land. 'These are our songs, our dances, our jokes, even our swear words, that are thousands and thousands of years old.'


Daily Record
6 hours ago
- Daily Record
Scarlett Moffatt shares tear-jerking message as she makes her dream come true
The former Gogglebox star and I'm A Me Out Of Here! winner, 34, shared a body positivity message with her fans as she made one of her dreams come true. Scarlett Moffatt has delivered an empowering message on body positivity, fulfilling one of her lifelong aspirations. The 34-year-old Gogglebox sensation, who rose to prominence while giving her take on television from her family's couch, spread positivity as she spun around during the finals of a ballroom dancing contest. Radiating joy in a vibrant neon green frock adorned with feathers and a sparkling belt, the mother-of-one urged her followers to pursue happiness regardless of any inhibitions. In a video where she's seen beaming and dancing with a childhood friend donning a navy jumpsuit, she captioned: "I've said it once I'll say it a million times. DO NOT let your shape, size or age stop you from doing something that brings you joy. "Don't let that silly inner sabotage voice tell you ya won't be able to do it. Don't tell yourself I'll do it when I'm thinner, when I'm fitter or when a, b or c happens. Do it now!" The star of I'm A Me Out Of Here! added: "I can't tell you how much joy dancing in two finals with my childhood friend has made me this weekend. I was thinking of nothing but the sheer joy that dance brings me, I hope I can encourage one more person to do the same.", reports the Mirror. Her motivational words were met with applause from her celebrity pals, with many echoing Scarlett's sentiments. Ex-Strictly contestant Ian Waite commented: "Love this darling", and It Takes Two presenter Janette Manrara chimed in with: "Yes yes yes!!!!" Meanwhile, actress Emily Atack left a comment: "Omg obsessed xxxxxx", and Strictly's professional dancer Karen Hauer cheered on with: "Wooohooo yes babe!!" When Scarlett joined the cast of Gogglebox, her vibrant character, Northern charm, and quick wit instantly made her a telly favourite. But fame became overwhelming for the star after her I'm A Celebrity win in 2016; she found herself struggling with mental health issues, at one point calling Samaritans 20 times for help. Struggling under the weight of her newfound celebrity status, Scarlett confessed there was a time when she "wanted to disappear" at the height of her struggles. It was during this low point that she discovered Samaritans on social media, which ultimately provided her with the lifeline she needed. In 2022, Scarlett lent her support to a government campaign encouraging people to take care of their mental well-being. This initiative followed findings from The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) which indicated that nearly 70% of Britons suffered from "Sunday Scaries", anxiety triggered by impending work commitments, sleep deprivation and burgeoning task lists. While discussing her own experiences with anxiety with the Mirror, she revealed: "It doesn't even matter how many years I've been doing this, I still want to perform well. So that anxiety around getting my lines right, and hoping they want to work with me again all start." The television celebrity, who is set to marry Scott Dobinson and together they have a two year old son named Jude, shared that her most effective strategy for coping with stressful times is to seek support from friends and family – a stark contrast to her past approach. She explained: "This has been a gradual thing, but now if I'm ever feeling that way, I reach out to a loved one. That's the opposite of what I used to do. I used to think I don't want to be a burden on anyone, or that I don't want to let anyone down."


Edinburgh Live
7 hours ago
- Edinburgh Live
BBC Strictly Come Dancing legend reveals reason she quit show to become farmer
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Strictly Come Dancing icon Flavia Cacace has opened up about her decision to swap the glitz of the dance floor for a life of farming after departing the hit show over a decade ago. The 45-year-old graced the Strictly stage as a professional from 2006 to 2012, having joined the series with her then-dance partner Vincent Simone. Following her exit from Strictly, Flavia tied the knot with EastEnders actor Jimi Mistry, whom she met on the show, and in 2021, the couple embraced rural life in Devon, cultivating vegetables and rearing farm animals. Flavia has now shared the reasons behind her dramatic career shift. Speaking on ITV's Lorraine this morning, Flavia explained: "I never retired, I just needed a break. I toured for eight years and when me and Vincent started touring, we would do seven, eight shows a week in each venue. We did that for eight years - I stopped in 2018, I was just exhausted." She elaborated on the toll the intense schedule took on her, saying: "It was the body and the brain, it's both things - and obviously, I'd been living out of a suitcase, from hotel to hotel. I needed that break and Covid came and it was one of those things where we said, 'Let's just go to the countryside.'". Flavia also mentioned her deep bond with animals, noting that she and Jimi have been enjoying their pastoral lifestyle for half a decade, reports the Mirror. During her time on Strictly, Flavia reached the final with EastEnders' Matt Di Angelo in 2007, finishing as runner-up, and later clinched victory with Olympic gymnast Louis Smith in what would be her last series on the show. Matt and Flavia sparked a romance following their stint on Strictly, with the couple being an item until 2010. Flavia is now set to dazzle audiences once more by joining forces with former Strictly sensation Oti Mabuse for a national tour. After bidding farewell to Strictly in 2021, Oti has been a familiar face on shows like I'm A Me Out of Here, Celebrity Bake Off, and Big Brother: Late and Live. She also served as a judge on Dancing on Ice before its cancellation this year and hosted Oti Mabuse's Breakfast Show on ITV. In other Strictly news, Love Island champion Dani Dyer is reportedly lacing up her dancing shoes for this year's competition. Fresh from tying the knot with footballer Jarrod Bowen, Dani has allegedly inked a preliminary contract for Strictly and is currently negotiating her salary, as per The Sun. A source close to Strictly shared with The Sun that BBC chiefs are "thrilled" about Dani joining the show and are finalising her payment details. They remarked: "She's bubbly, down-to-earth and straight-talking and producers reckon she'll make an ideal contestant - not to mention the bonus of having Jarrod and dad Danny in the audience supporting her." Catch Lorraine every weekday morning at 9am on ITV1 and ITVX.