Dermot O'Leary

TALKING ABOUT HIS FAVOURITE SHOWS DERMOT O’LEARY ON THE PACT HE’S MADE WITH WIFE DEE AND WHY HOLLY GETS HIS VOTE

- Emily Horan

Dermot O’Leary is no stranger to the spotlight, having fronted the country’s best-known musical talent show, The X Factor, for 11 series.

However, as he prepares to mark a decade of hosting the National Television Awards (NTAs), he tells hello! that he doesn’t want a big fuss made of the occasion.

“A nice bottle of wine would be fine,” says the down-to-earth star, giving us his signature smile, in our exclusive interview ahead of the big TV awards night.

“I don’t want any big hoo-ha for it – it’s a bit awkward when you’re the centre of attention at something like that.

“I hope I’ll still be presenting the NTAs in another ten years,” he adds, although he’s quick to point out that “none of the decisions I’ve made in my career have been particularly due to planning”.

“My professional goal for the next two decades is to carry on with a body of work, ideally one big show a year,” says Dermot, who also hosts BBC Radio 2’s Saturday Breakfast Show. “I’m lucky enough to be able to try and sculpt my career around what I want to do.”

This year’s NTAs, which will be broadcast live from London’s O2 on 22 January, will see the exciting addition of a new award category – New Drama.