National Television Awards host Dermot O’Leary reveals unusual request from Prince William
DERMOT O’LEARY has revealed Prince William once asked him for a very extraordinary request.
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The X Factor presenter met the Duke of Cambridge at the 2017 Pride of Britain Awards after winning a gong on the night.
Recalling the memorable moment, the 44-year-old said he was with the ITV talent show’s judges Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh when he queued up to see the royal.
Discussing how different it was compared to when he met the Prince of Wales, Dermot divulged: “When it was Prince Charles there was more of a semi-circle with everyone waiting to shake his hand, but William was more chilled and was saying hello to everyone.
“Nicole told him her code name in Pussycat Dolls was Prince William, which he loved.”
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It was a touching moment, we brought it in together
But Dermot was then completely taken aback when the royal asked the TV favourite for a ‘Dermot hug’.
He told The Sun: “Then he came to me and said, ‘You know what I need? I need a Dermot hug.’
“And I said, ‘Right, bring it on.’ So we had a hug and he went, ‘Oh that’s a good hug, and it’s important to hug.’”
Fans of X Factor are used to seeing Dermot hug the contestants when they fail to make it past certain rounds and Prince William certainly appreciated the gesture.
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“It was a touching moment, we brought it in together. He’s a good hugger,” Dermot added.
Dermot will be presenting tonight’s National Television Awards on ITV for the ninth year in a row at London’s 02 Arena.
And it will certainly be a night to remember as Ant and Dec are on course to scoop their historic 17th gong.
The popular Geordie duo are up against This Morning’s Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield and The Chase host Bradley Wash for the coveted TV presenter title.
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Despite the tough competition, Ant and Dec are favourite to win the award with their odds at 1/10 by William Hill.
This year, the ceremony will pay tribute to the late Sir Bruce Forsyth by naming a major award after him.
The Graham Norton Show, Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Celebrity Juice and All Round to Mrs Brown’s will compete for the inaugural Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award.
The National Television Awards will air tonight on ITV at 7.30pm.
