Ant and Dec support fellow Geordie Sam Fender as they attend his Newcastle United’s St James’ Park gig

Sam Fender put on two incredible shows at Newcastle United’s St James’ Park over the weekend as he was welcomed by a sea of fans on home turf. The Hypersonic Missiles rocker played back-to-back gigs at the historic football stadium, which was transformed into a music venue, and many celebrity guests were in attendance.

Geordie duo Ant and Dec led the stars who attended the homecoming gig and took to social media to show support for singer-songwriter Sam, who hails from North Shields. Prior to the gig, the TV presenters shared a photo of themselves inside the ground with their Instagram followers.

The pair beamed, and Dec held a black and white flag as thousands of people gathered in the background. They captioned it: "Looking forward to seeing our Geordie ‘nephew’ Sam Fender!!! HWTL." They later posted a video on their story of them singing along to Seventeen Going Under.

The Britain’s Got Talent hosts and Sam have a strong connection due to their ties to the North East. In 2019, Sam celebrated Ant and Dec following him on Twitter by recreating the pair’s iconic ‘paint in the eyes’ sketch as PJ and Duncan with his bandmates. Then, in 2021, Ant and Dec surprised him with a number 1 album trophy when Seventeen Going Under topped the charts.

Sam also appeared as a surprise guest for the ‘End Of The Show Show’ segment of the pair’s Saturday Night Takeaway show last year. He performed his hit single ‘Seventeen Going Under’ before ending the show with a cover of Mark Knopfler‘s ‘Local Hero’.

Ant and Dec announced in May that they will be taking a break from Saturday Night Takeaway after next year’s series, which will mark the 20th anniversary. Ant told fans: “We love making Saturday Night Takeaway, but reaching the milestone of 20 series seemed like the perfect time to pause for a little while and catch our breath."