5 things we learned on the NTAs red carpet

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This year's National Television Awards may have been all about Ant and Dec and their sweep of awards, but here are some other things we learned on the red carpet.

1. Holly and Phil are genuinely best friends

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Holly and Phil won the award for best daytime

After 10 years of presenting together, you'd think Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield would be sick of each other. But the This Morning presenters (and best daytime show winners) told the BBC they have never had an argument.

"Not once have we come close to falling out! We meet up socially and our partners are friends," Phil said.

"I know it sounds weird to a lot of people, but who could spend that many hours on telly together if it wasn't real? You would hate each other, so we're very lucky," Holly added.

2. Suranne Jones has an important message about gender equality

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Suranne Jones won the NTA for drama performance

Suranne, who won the award for best drama performance for her role in Doctor Foster, wore a 50/50 badge to the awards and said it was because women and men did not receive equal opportunities in the acting world.

She also applauded the NTAs for having gender neutral categories and said she would like to see more ceremonies go the same way.

"I think being a role model to younger women on screen is important. At the moment there's a 2:1 ratio of male to female actors, and if this is a bit fairer, then why not?" she told the BBC.

"This is also such a beautiful awards ceremony because the people who have watched it have voted for it, so maybe this is why it's different and looked at in such a way."

3. Stanley Johnson didn't realise he was nominated for an NTA

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Let's hope fellow contestants Jennie McAlpine and Jamie Lomas knew they were nominated

I'm A Celebrity may have won the award for best challenge show, but ex-politician and contestant Stanley Johnson didn't even know it was nominated.

"I think it's so good the show's nominated. I thought I was only here to present a prize for some other category," he said.

"Let's hope we win though! I knew that Ant and Dec were nominated as presenters, but I didn't know we were."

We also told him who I'm A Celeb was up against. When he realised one of its fellow nominees was The Great British Bake Off, he replied: "I think we'll knock them into a tin of marmalade!"

4. The stars of Strictly all have similar views on why the show is so successful

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Ruth Langsford took part in 2017's Strictly Come Dancing

Strictly Come Dancing won the award for best talent show, and previous contestants Ruth Langsford, Jake Wood and Alison Hammond all had something to say on what makes the show a big ratings winner.

Ruth told the BBC Strictly was all about "glitz, glamour, sequins and sparkle".

She added: "All the family watch it together. It's a very different show to X Factor and it deserves that win."

Alison Hammond agreed, saying it was something that brought families together. "It's the one show your kids will want to watch with you," she said.

Jake Wood said its success was down to the way it didn't try "to catch anyone out".

"I think some of the other reality shows are great to watch, but there's always that streak. Strictly is feel-good and people are learning a skill, so for me it's perfect Saturday night TV."

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Kem and Chris were finalists in Love Island 2017

5. Love Island was the talk of the red carpet stars

The NTAs are all about what's hot on TV, and for many of the celebs all the talk was about ITV2's surprise hit Love Island.

Chris Hughes and Kem Cetinay were both finalists on the show and told the BBC the reason it got the nation hooked was because it was relatable.

"Everyone's fancied someone! Watching it you're like, 'I've been there, done that!' and it's an easy watch," Kem said.

Chris picked up on the pantomime of it all, saying: "There are so many great characters and people you can invest time in as well, and that's what made it a success."

The show's voice-over man, comedian Iain Sterling, called it "a break from everything happening in the world".

"It's a bit of light relief from the realities of politics and the economy, plus you could just watch people being attractive in a house," he told the BBC.

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