Amy Dowden, the professional dancer who made a documentary about her breast cancer journey, publicly congratulated Molly‑Mae Hague after Hague won the Authored Documentary award at the National Television Awards on Wednesday night, while acknowledging disappointment that other nominees, including a film about the late motor neurone disease sufferer Rob Burrow, did not prevail.
Hague’s six‑part Prime Video series Molly‑Mae: Behind It All beat stiff competition in the category — which also included Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, There’s Only One Rob Burrow and films about Freddie Flintoff and Boyzone — prompting a wave of criticism on social media from viewers who said the documentary field should not have been compared. Dowden posted a message on social media saying it had been an honour to be nominated alongside "such powerful and inspiring documentaries," and reiterated that she made her film to raise awareness, promote early detection and give hope to others.
In her acceptance speech onstage at London’s O2 Arena, Hague said it was an honour to be nominated and paid tribute to the Burrow family, telling the audience that Rob Burrow’s story "was far more inspirational than mine could ever be." Rob Burrow, a former rugby league player, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019 and died last year at age 41. Hague also referenced her personal struggles depicted in the series, which followed her split from Tommy Fury and the launch of her fashion brand.
Viewers reacted strongly on X, with a number of posts calling the result inappropriate given the subject matter of competing films. Representative comments included: "Please explain how Molly Mae won that award when the others was much more inspirational," and "Disgusting that Molly Mae won an award beating Rob Burrows. You cannot even compare them." Other users questioned the public voting process that decides NTA winners.
The National Television Awards, now in their 30th year and televised on ITV, are decided by public vote. Host Joel Dommett presided over the ceremony, which saw a range of programming and personalities honoured across popular categories. Gary Lineker won Best Presenter, breaking a 23‑year run of wins by Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, and used his speech to reflect on the importance of speaking up on behalf of those without a voice following his controversial departure from Match of the Day earlier this year.
Other major winners included This Morning for Best Daytime, EastEnders for Best Serial Drama, Strictly Come Dancing for Best Talent Show and Gavin & Stacey for Best Comedy. Michael McIntyre’s Big Show won The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award and Jeremy Clarkson’s Clarkson’s Farm took Factual Entertainment. The ceremony also recognised Wallace and Gromit with a special award collected by creator Nick Park.
Dowden, who shared photographs of herself and family at the event, stressed the purpose behind her documentary in her social media post. "When I made the deeply personal decision to share my breast cancer journey, it was to raise awareness, promote early detection, and give hope and strength to others going through it," she wrote. She thanked those who voted and pledged to continue using her platform to support others.
Hague, a former Love Island contestant turned influencer and entrepreneur, joked onstage about losing a shoe as she accepted the award and thanked her partner and daughter. Her series, released in January, charted a period of personal crisis and business activity, and drew both viewer interest and criticism earlier this year when Hague was criticised for comments about her summer activities.
Producers, nominees and viewers have long debated whether public voting awards can fairly compare documentaries that differ widely in subject, tone and public profile. Organisers of the NTAs said voting is intended to reflect the preferences of the television‑watching public rather than industry judges.
The ceremony closed with a number of emotional moments: Steve McFadden received Serial Drama Performance for his portrayal of Phil Mitchell’s mental health crisis on EastEnders, and young actor Owen Cooper won Drama Performance for his role in the BBC’s Adolescence. The breadth of winners underlined the NTAs’ role as a barometer of mainstream viewer sentiment, even as individual results such as the Authored Documentary category continue to spark debate.
Dowden’s response and the public reaction to Hague’s win underline tensions between popular voting processes and critical assessments of documentary impact. Both Hague and Dowden framed their work as personal accounts intended to connect with viewers, while the Burrow family’s film highlighted the public’s continued regard for Rob Burrow’s legacy and the wider conversation about motor neurone disease.
The National Television Awards were established in 1995 to give viewers a direct voice in recognising television talent. The 2025 ceremony mixed long‑running favourites with recent breakout series and momentous individual wins, leaving some audiences satisfied and others outspoken about how televised honours are decided.