National Television Awards 2012: I’m a Celebrity wins Best Reality TV gong

I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, picked up the coveted award at the NTAs after going up against The Only Way Is Essex, Come Dine With Me and The Apprentice.

I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, has won the gong for the best Reality TV show at the National Television Awards in London tonight.

The show had gone up against stiff competition at the glitzy ceremony, battling against The Only Way Is Essex, Come Dine With Me and The Apprentice.

But the jungle reality TV show managed to steal the prize away – something that clearly delighted the celebrities who appeared in it last year, as well as hosts Ant and Dec.

Ant and Dec – who already lifted the coveted Best Entertainment Presenter gong earlier in the night – were over the moon the win.

Ant said: “Fantastic, thank you very much, thank you very much indeed. We didn’t think we’d get this one at all!�

Dec added: “It’s such a punishing schedule out there, everyone sacrifices such a lot, our team, the Australian crew…�

Ant then thanked the celebrities, the true stars of the show, for making this year’s programme such a hit, and called the three finalists – winner Dougie Poytner, runner-up Mark Wright, and third-placed Fatima Whitbread – up onto the stage.

This brand new category saw Essex ladies’ man Mark Wright compete with himself – as two of the shows he starred in, The Only Way is Essex and I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, were both nominated!

The celebs thanked everyone for voting, but poor McFly bassist Dougie seemed so overwhelmed that he admitted he couldn’t think of anything to say, expect “thank you�!

This is the first time the NTAs has featured a category for reality television shows, and not before time. In recent years programmes of this nature have truly exploded onto the TV scene in a way like never before, gripping the nation with the drama that encircles the characters.

The 17th annual National Television Awards saw over a thousand faces from the nation’s favourite TV shows – from dramas such as Downton Abbey to comedies like Outnumbered – attended the event to find out who had won in the 14 hotly contested categories.