Dec is said to planning to send a message of support to his close friend and co-host in the final instalment of Saturday Night Takeaway, which will air live from Florida this weekend.
Ant announced that he would be stepping down from further TV commitments following his drink-drive charge last month.
It is believed that Dec will show his support for the 42-year-old by singing the theme tune from US television series Friends.
I’ll Be There For You by The Rembrants is said to be featured on the final episode as an homage to the pair’s sitcom spoof Chums from their days on SMTV.
“The pair of them are fans of the comedy show and they even spoofed it on their 1990s SMTV show and called it Chums,” an unknown source told the Daily Star.
As Saturday night’s show came to a close, Dec was overcome with emotion as he thanked viewers for their support.
Following the End of The Show Show, he said: “That’s just about it for tonight’s show.
“Thanks to all of tonight’s guests, thanks to Stephen Merchant, to Scarlett, to Stephen, thanks to the Speakmans, thanks to Davina McCall, thanks to the Jersey Boys, The Script, Paloma Faith, but most of all… thanks to you at home for watching.
“Thank you so much.”
Holding onto guest announcer Stephen Merchant, he begged: “Just hold me Stephen.”
The 42-year-old then concluded: “We will see you next Saturday at seven, live from Florida for the series finale.
“We will see you then, have a fantastic Easter, and thanks for all the support.”
Dec addressed Ant’s absence from the start of the show as he joked that he had double the amount of work to do as he presented solo for the first time since 1988.
As the audience gave him a round of applause and standing ovation, he commented: “Thank you very much. Thank you for that very warm welcome, I really appreciate it.
“We’ve got a jam packed show this evening and I have twice the amount of work to do.
“We’re going to crack on and say hello to our guest announcer, Stephen Merchant.”
Following the show, Dec, who recently announced he is expecting his first child with wife Ali Astall, said he struggled to sleep the night before.
In a post shared with Ant and Dec’s 6.84 million Twitter followers, he revealed: “Thanks for all your lovely messages tonight, they are VERY much appreciated, I’m glad you enjoyed the show.
“I didn’t sleep an awful lot last night so I’m off to bed! Night y’all.”
Dec is expected to jet off to Florida this week to prepare for Saturday’s live final.
Saturday Night Takeaway concludes Saturday on ITV at 7pm.
