National Television Awards 2021: The best red carpet images

The stars were out in force on the red carpet at Thursday's National Television Awards - one of the first major awards ceremonies to take place in person since lockdown restrictions were eased in the UK.

The ceremony took place at London's O2 arena on Sunday, marking the first NTAs ceremony since January 2020 - before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The woman with her mouth wide open in the background of this photo quite frankly represents all of us right now - This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby looked stunning in a blue sequinned gown.

She was nominated for best TV presenter, but her co-presenter Philip Schofield isn't. A bit awkward perhaps, but it's not as if anybody was going to beat Ant and Dec anyway.

Nine months on from eating insects in a Welsh castle, I'm A Celebrity contestants Vernon Kay and Giovanna Fletcher were back together in the slightly more glamorous surroundings of London's O2 arena.

The ITV series won the Bruce Forsyth entertainment award.

Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford were one of the few TV duos who didn't have to socially distance on screen for the last 18 months, thanks to them being married and therefore bubbled up together anyway.

The pair were bathed in black on the red carpet.

JLS: Marvin Humes, JB Gill, Oritse Williams and Aston Merrygold

The recently-reunited JLS looked extremely sharp in a variety of black-and-white patterned suits. The group's music is finally going to Beat Again when they tour the UK in October. We're keeping our fingers crossed for their 2008 X Factor co-stars Eoghan Quigg and Diana Vickers to be the support act.

The boyband performed a medley of their songs during the NTAs ceremony including the number one smash Everybody In Love.

Drag Race UK stars Bimini Bon-Boulash (left), Lawrence Chaney and Tayce naturally had all eyes on their outlandish and flamboyant outfits, and frankly we wouldn't have it any other way.

Katie Price was on the red carpet with her son Harvey. The star was nominated in a new category, authored documentary, for the programme Katie Price: Harvey and Me.

Strictly Come Dancing star Janette Manrara hit the red carpet weeks after she was announced as the new host of spin-off show It Takes Two.

She'll step into Zoe Ball's shoes when the show launches later this month.

Read more from the NTAs:

• 7 highlights from the NTAs ceremony

• Ant and Dec 'overwhelmed' by 20th win at NTAs

Fresh from several weeks in a Spanish villa which we are certainly not jealous of in the slightest, Love Island stars (left to right) Liberty, Toby, Chloe and presenter Laura Whitmore adjusted to the significantly cooler London climate.

Time for another triple - The Only Way Is Essex stars Lydia Bright, Billie Faiers and Amy Childs wore a gorgeous black dress with gold polka dots, an elegant light pink gown and a stunning green dress respectively.

In a sea of tuxes and, let's be honest, fairly boring suits, Olly Alexander was one of the few male stars to bring a splash of colour to the red carpet.

The Years & Years singer and It's A Sin star wore an outfit which seemed to combine a T-shirt, a corset and a pastel-green jacket.

Good Morning Britain presenters and long-time friends Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway were out way past their usual bedtime and posed for pictures together on the red carpet.

Garraway took home the authored documentary prize for her programme Finding Derek, about her husband Derek Draper's battle with Covid-19.

Perhaps the most colourful and eye-catching dress of the night was that worn by former Love Island champion Amber Gill. It was bright, it was streamy, it was different, and she rocked it.

Amber, we salute you. Everyone else, watch you don't get whipped when she turns around.

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