They say you should never meet your heroes, as you could be setting yourself up for disappointment.
But that’s no stopping one of Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly’s biggest fans, whose love for the duo runs so deep she spent 10 hours waiting for them in a snowstorm and even has dresses emblazoned with snapshots of their best moments.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Heidi-Jade Sargent, 23, said she has met the duo numerous times and has already booked two weeks off to secure tickets for the new series of Saturday Night Takeaway later this month. .
The 23-year-old, from Northampton, received national attention when she met the pair at the Britain’s Got Talent auditions last week, wearing a matching jacket and shoes completely covered with their faces.
Heidi also revealed that Ant and Dec’s uplifting shows also got her through a difficult time in her life, offering much-needed comfort when her sister was battling a ‘disturbing’ illness.
EXCLUSIVE: One of Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly’s biggest fans has opened up about her love for the hosting duo, having met them numerous times.
Die-hard: Northampton’s Heidi-Jade Sargent has already booked two weeks off in hopes of landing tickets to the new series of Saturday Night Takeaway
Discussing her early love for the couple, Heidi-Jade explained: “I’m a huge fan of Ant and Dec because they always manage to lift me up through the really hard times in my life.”
‘They are so talented. There are amazing people and so down to earth when you meet them, they are just great.
She said she still remembers the first moment she discovered her distinctive presenting style, while watching an episode of Saturday Night Takeaway when she was at school.
‘I remember watching them from when I was younger. And then one of my friends introduced me to Saturday Night Takeaway when I was in high school, and I loved it, I fell in love with the show,” he said.
“It was so much fun every Saturday and I got so involved as if you were singing and dancing until the end of the shows, always dreaming of that place on the plane.
‘And then they did Enjie Benjy, a children’s show, which was my favorite show as a kid, a little kid growing up too. So actually I’ve loved them all my life.
Heidi also candidly revealed that Ant and Dec were a great comfort to her when her sister got sick, describing it as a difficult time for her and her family.
“I had a time when my sister was sick and everyone was pretty upset,” she explained.
Candid: Heidi-Jade told MailOnline Ant and Dec’s uplifting shows also got her through a difficult time in her life, when her sister battled a “disturbing illness”.
‘And watching his shows would bring a smile to my face. I spent most of the day worrying about her. I could stop watching Saturday night takeout and it would have given me that boost of positivity I needed to keep smiling.
At 23, Heidi missed some of the early moments of Ant and Dec’s career, including appearances on the series Byker Grove, where they met and became friends.
However, he’s gone back and seen much of his earlier work online, and is constantly streaming his PJ & Duncan album, which featured his iconic ’90s song Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble.
Last week, Heidi grabbed nationwide attention when she donned a jacket covered in images of Ant and Dec’s faces, complete with matching sneakers, to meet them as they headed to the BGT filming in Manchester.
He had previously traveled to London while the pair filmed auditions at The Palladium, with judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli.
She said that she has met the couple so many times that they have started to recognize them thanks to their flashy accessories.
Now they recognize me with the jacket. I have two Ant and Dec jackets that I made. So now they recognize me with them and the dresses. I now have four Ant and Dec memory selfie dresses. I get recognized by them,’ said Heidi-Jade.
Speaking about the first time she met them, Heidi-Jade told MailOnline that she dragged her mother to a red carpet event and they waited in pouring rain for eight hours.
I was so dazzled that I couldn’t even speak. I was so dazzled that I couldn’t say anything,” she said.
They were such lovely people, so lovely. And yes, I cried all the way home. They were such good things, such an amazing memory.
Back to work! Ant and Dec have been filming the auditions for the new series of Britain’s Got Talent (pictured), and Heidi has already seen them twice.
What a view! She caught the attention of the couple in Manchester last week when she sported a jacket, T-shirt and shoes that covered her face.
Classic: Revealed she first traveled to meet the couple at a red carpet event when she was 18, and has had four dresses embellished with photos of their faces
‘At the Palladium this year, the BGT technician took my jacket backstage to them and they came out modeling it on the Britain’s Got Talent stage, which I was really excited about.
“I was screaming, screaming like the biggest fan in the world. They modeled it and then the next day I saw them outside at the stage doors and they ran into each other even though they were running, and then I was shooting and I came and they signed it with me.
While Heidi-Jade said she traveled to London and Manchester to see the couple, the first trip she took proved more challenging than most, as the capital was hit by a terrible snowstorm.
She explained: ‘The first one I went to I was 18 and it was Saturday Night Takeaway in a snowstorm which I watched outside in that snowstorm for 10 and a half hours. And that was with one of my friends from college to get into that show.
Fortunately, Heidi-Jade’s loved ones are just as on board with her obsession with Ant and Dec as she is, and will always look out for her when she heads off to the BGT auditions.
“Not as crazy as me, but they watch the shows,” she said.
‘If it’s something I’ve been in, they’re always looking for me and then sending me pictures like ‘you’re in the audience!’ Yeah, not as crazy as me.”
Grilling over her favorite Ant and Dec moment of their 30-year career, Heidi-Jade picked the moment they hosted a wedding on a Saturday Night Takeaway in 2016, with some hilarious stories about the bride and groom.
And with a new series of Saturday Night Takeaway set to kick off later this month, Heidi-Jade is already putting plans in motion to land an audience spot, hopefully more than once in the series.
Unbelievable: At the BGT auditions, Ant and Dec even donned Heidi’s flashy jacket and admitted that it made her “scream like the biggest fan in the world.”
‘Hopefully, two weeks annual vacation just to go. Jackets, shoes are ready, I just need the tickets! she said.
Heidi-Jade is no stranger to Takeaway, having watched the show live twice last year, saying, “The audience is so excited and yeah, it’s hard to explain.”
“It makes it a little more real and more exciting, I get a lot more excited and just dance around the living room.”
“But in a way, I’m even more surprised in the studies. Andy the warm up guy tweeted me last year and said I was an absolute superstar and loved the show which is true!
Speaking of her Ant and Dec-themed wardrobe, Heidi-Jade added: “First I started with a dress, I designed the dress, and I had a lot of fun designing it.
“And then I was like, you know what, actually, I really love Ant and Dec, I have so many t-shirts… I want to do a unique jacket, so I did it and then I loved it when it turned out to the point that I made another one.
I have one with Ant, Dec and Stephen Mulhern from Saturday Night Takeaway.
How long? He also shared that he once stood in line for eight hours in the rain to meet them, and even spent 10 hours in a snow storm to see them on Saturday Night Takeaway.
As one of Ant and Dec’s biggest fans, having seen their wide variety of presenting talents both on screen and in person, is there anything else Heidi would like to see the pair try?
‘I would love to see them in more movies. Alien Autopsy is my favorite movie. I would love to see them act more and make movies. I would love for them to come back and do another tour.
‘Yeah, I’d love to see them do an Ant and Dec music tour or do the Saturday Night Takeaway tour again.
‘Because so many people would go for so many fans that would come to see his show. I think it would be an amazing atmosphere really. And then they would get a good reaction from the fans.