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Declan Donnelly

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Declan Donnelly
OBE
Donnelly in 2014
Born
Declan Joseph Oliver Donnelly

(1975-09-25) 25 September 1975 (age 49)
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
EducationSt Michael's Roman Catholic Primary School
St Cuthbert's High School
Occupations
  • Television presenter
  • television producer
  • former singer
  • comedian
  • actor
  • rapper
Years active1987–present
Spouse
Ali Astall
​
(m. 2015)​
Children2
Declan Donnelly's voice
from the BBC programme Desert Island Discs, 29 December 2013.[1]
Websiteofficialantanddec.com

Declan Joseph Oliver Donnelly OBE (born 25 September 1975) is a British television presenter, television producer, former singer, rapper, comedian and actor. He is best known for working alongside Ant McPartlin as part of the presenting duo Ant & Dec.

Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Donnelly came to prominence, alongside McPartlin, in the children's drama series Byker Grove, with both men establishing successful careers as television presenters, in which they are most known for presenting SMTV Live (between 1998 and 2001), I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! alongside Ant McPartlin (2002–2017, 2019–) and Holly Willoughby (2018) and Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (2002–2024), and Britain's Got Talent (since 2007).

Other notable highlights of Donnelly's career alongside McPartlin include presenting PokerFace, Push the Button, Pop Idol, and Red or Black?, being hosts of charity appeal Text Santa (between 2011 and 2014), and also performing as pop music duo PJ & Duncan.

Early life

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Donnelly is the child of parents Alphonsus Donnelly and Anne Donnelly, who originally resided in Desertmartin, Northern Ireland before moving to England in the 1950s, settling in Newcastle upon Tyne.[2] He is among seven children the couple raised within the council estate of Cruddas Park.[3]

Donnelly's education took place first at St Michael's Roman Catholic Primary School, and later at the all-boys St Cuthbert's High School, with him receiving 8 GCSEs.[4] Although he eventually moved towards a career in television, he originally considered becoming a Catholic priest but changed his mind upon seeing the students from the all-girls Sacred Heart Catholic High School.[5]

Career

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Main article: Ant & Dec

Donnelly's career in television began at the age of 12, when his father suggested that he audition for Byker Grove, a new children's television programme being created by CBBC in Newcastle upon Tyne that had been advertised in local newspapers. His success in this audition led to him securing the role of Duncan, whereupon he first met Anthony McPartlin. Although he was raised in an estate close to Donnelly, McPartlin had never met him until their involvement in the children's drama.[6] The pair worked together on the show until their eventual departure in 1993, whereupon they began to bond as friends, both socially and professionally.

After a short tenure in music, Donnelly and McPartlin furthered their careers in television by becoming the presenting duo Ant & Dec. Having already fronted Children's TV show 'The Ant and Dec show' on BBC1, which ran for 2 series, followed by a stint on Channel 4 with the edgier 'Ant & Dec Unzipped', The pair continued to work in children's television, fronting ITV's Saturday morning children's programme SMTV Live.[7] After leaving the programme in 2001, the pair branched out to front other shows, including game shows – Friends Like These, PokerFace and Push the Button – talent shows – Pop Idol, and Britain's Got Talent – and entertainment programmes – I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, and Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. The pair continued to maintain acting careers, starring in a tribute to The Likely Lads in 2002, in the form of a remake of an episode from the show's sequel Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, entitled "No Hiding Place",[8] and in 2006 film Alien Autopsy.

Ant & Dec have their own production company Mitre Television where they produce their shows.[9]

Personal life

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On 22 July 2006, Donnelly was the best man for McPartlin's wedding to Lisa Armstrong.[10]

Donnelly reprised his role as McPartlin's best man when he married his new wife, Anne-Marie Corbett on 7 August 2021. In an 'emotional' speech on the special day, he described McPartlin as the "best friend a man could have" before reading a prayer in front of the guests attending.[11]

In August 2011, Donnelly attended his father's funeral, after Alphonsus died in hospital of cancer.[3]

Donnelly dated actress Clare Buckfield for ten years between 1993 and 2003, and television presenter Georgie Thompson from January 2009 until April 2011.[12][13]

On 13 November 2014, Donnelly became engaged to the duo's manager, Ali Astall, with whom he had been in a relationship for over a year,[14] with the marriage taking place at St Michael's Roman Catholic Church, Elswick, Tyne and Wear, on 1 August 2015. The ceremony was conducted by his brother, Father Dermott Donnelly, a Catholic priest, with McPartlin as his best man.[15] On 1 September 2018, after announcing earlier in the year that the couple were expecting their first child, Donnelly's wife gave birth to their daughter, Isla.[16]

On 19 March 2018, after his colleague McPartlin's car crash, it was announced that Donnelly would be presenting the remaining episodes of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and the live semi-finals of Britain's Got Talent on his own.

In November 2019, it was revealed that Dec is a distant cousin of the American professional wrestling promoter and businesswoman Dixie Carter.[17] He is also related to footballer Aaron Donnelly.[18] His elder brother Dermott died after a short illness on 8 July 2022 at age 55.[19]

Donnelly has stated that he is a practising Roman Catholic but does not publicly discuss religion or his family in depth.[6][5]

On 23 July 2022, Donnelly and Astall welcomed their second child, a boy, Jack. In a 'sweet' gesture, the couple gave their son middle names 'Anthony' and 'Alphonsus' in honour of Donnelly's best friend McPartlin and late father respectively.[20]

Charity

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Donnelly and McPartlin are patrons of the charity Sunshine Fund. When their single 'Let's Get Ready to Rhumble' reached No.1 in 2012, Ant & Dec donated the single's success to the charity ChildLine. They also support the Text Santa appeal.

Donnelly also supports the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle's Youth Ministry Team, directed by one of his older brothers, Dermott Donnelly, former dean of St Mary's Cathedral in Newcastle.[5][21][22] They opened the W4 Youth Centre in 2013.[23]

Earnings

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In 2002, Ant & Dec signed a two-year golden handcuffs deal with ITV, worth £2m.[24]

In 2004 they signed their third golden handcuffs deal with ITV, running until the end of 2007.[25]

In April 2007, the duo signed a two-year golden handcuffs deal with ITV, reportedly worth £30–40 million, securing their career at the station until the end of 2009.[26][27]

In 2009 they extended their golden handcuffs deal for two years.[28] In 2011 they extended their golden handcuffs deal for two years.[29]

In November 2016 the pair signed a new three-year deal with ITV, estimated to be worth £30 million over 3 years.[30]

Honours and awards

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Donnelly was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting and entertainment.[31]

The following listed below are the television awards that Donnelly has been nominated for or awarded with, primarily while working alongside Anthony McPartlin as Ant & Dec:

National Television Awards

[edit]
Year Award Show
2001 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
2002 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme Pop Idol
Special Recognition Award
2003[38] Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Most Popular Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
2004 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
2005 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
2006[39] Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Quiz Programme Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon
2007 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Most Popular Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
2008[40] Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
2010 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
2011 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
2012 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Reality Programme I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
2013 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
2014 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
Landmark Award
2015 Most Popular Entertainment Presenter
Most Popular Entertainment Programme I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
2016 Most Popular Entertainment Programme I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
Most Popular TV Presenter
2017 Most Popular Entertainment Programme Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Most Popular TV Presenter
Challenge Show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
2018 The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Challenge Show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
Most Popular TV Presenter
2019 The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
Most Popular TV Presenter
2020 The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
Most Popular TV Presenter
2021 The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
Most Popular TV Presenter

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1989–1993, 2000 Byker Grove Duncan
1994 Gimme 5 Guest co-presenter
1995–1997 The Ant & Dec Show Co-presenter
The Big Breakfast
1997 Ant and Dec's Geordie Christmas[41]
1998 Ant & Dec Unzipped
1998–2001 SMTV Live Alongside Cat Deeley and Ant McPartlin
CD:UK
1999–2001 Friends Like These Alongside Ant McPartlin
2001 Slap Bang with Ant & Dec
2001–2003 Pop Idol
2001, 2015–2016 Brit Awards
2002 A Tribute to the Likely Lads Himself
Prezzemolo Prezzemolo (voice)
2002–2004 Engie Benjy Engie Benjy (voice)
2002–2009, 2013–2018, 2020–2024 Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway

Co-Presenter

2002– I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Alongside Ant McPartlin (2002–2017, 2019–), Holly Willoughby (2018)
2005 Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon
2006 A History of Tyneside
2006–2007 PokerFace
2006, 2008 Soccer Aid
2007– Britain's Got Talent
2008 Wanna Bet?
2009 Ant & Dec's Christmas Show
2010–2011 Ant & Dec's Push the Button
2011–2012 Red or Black?
2011–2014 Text Santa
2016 When Ant and Dec Met The Prince: 40 Years of The Prince's Trust
The Queen's 90th Birthday Celebration
2019 Britain's Got Talent: The Champions
Ant & Dec's DNA Journey Himself
2022– Limitless Win Co-Presenter
2023 Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway: Behind the Scenes
I'm a Celebrity... South Africa Co–presenter Alongside Anthony McPartlin (2023)

Film

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Year Title Role
2003 Love, Actually Himself
2006 Alien Autopsy Ray Santilli
2013 One Chance Himself (archive footage)
2024 Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl Anton Deck (Up North News)

Named after English TV duo Ant & Dec

Television advertisements

[edit]
Year Title Role
2000 Wispa Bite Himself
2001 Ambrosia Splat Himself, voice only
Woolworths Himself
2002 McDonald's Himself, voice only
2008 Sainsbury's Himself
2010–2011 Nintendo Wii & DS
2013–2015 Morrisons
2016–2018 Suzuki
2019–2020 Marks & Spencer
2019–present Santander Bank

Apps

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References

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  1. ^ "Declan Donnelly". Desert Island Discs. 29 December 2013. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  2. ^ Whelan, Dave (20 January 2014). "BGT's Declan Donnelly gets mum on the phone to savour Irish music in Belfast's Duke of York pub". The Belfast Telegraph. Belfast. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Dec leads mourners at dad's funeral". Evening Chronicle. 28 August 2011. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014.
  4. ^ THE IoS PROFILE: Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly; Likely lad [dead link‍] Archived from The Independent (London)
  5. ^ a b c Jones, David (August 2013). "Declan Donnelly: TV presenter and brother of a Catholic priest". Catholic Life. pp. 62–64.
  6. ^ a b "The boys next door". The Guardian. 10 September 2005.
  7. ^ "digitalspy". Digital Spy. 3 September 2020.
  8. ^ Gallagher, William (12 May 2002). "Ant and Dec's likeable lads". BBC News. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  9. ^ "BFI Article on Mitre". Archived from the original on 25 March 2018.
  10. ^ Metcalfe, Will (1 August 2015). "Dec's wedding: Best man Ant McPartlin pays tribute to 'amazing' bride after 'emotional' ceremony". nechronicle. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  11. ^ Kelly, Mike; Knight, Lewis (8 August 2021). "Dec gives emotional best man speech at Ant McPartlin's wedding". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  12. ^ Hardie, Beth (21 January 2009). "Declan Donnelly dating Sky Sports presenter Georgie Thompson". mirror. Archived from the original on 5 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  13. ^ "Dec and Georgie Thompson announce split" 22 April 2011, RTÉ.ie Archived 30 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "Declan Donnelly engaged to Ali Astall". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 13 November 2014. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014.
  15. ^ "Declan Donnelly marries agent Ali Astall in Newcastle". BBC News. 1 August 2015.
  16. ^ "Declan Donnelly and wife Ali Astall welcome baby girl". BBC News. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  17. ^ Pearce, Tilly (10 November 2019). "Declan Donnelly discovers he's related to wrestling icon Dixie Carter". Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  18. ^ Baggaley, Michael (1 April 2023). "Port Vale defender Aaron Donnelly confirms unlikely Ant & Dec connection". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  19. ^ "Father Dermott Donnelly: Declan Donnelly's brother dies after illness". BBC News. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  20. ^ "Declan Donnelly announces birth of baby boy – with the perfect middle name". Sky News. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  21. ^ "Cathedral Life — Clergy and Staff: Father Dermott Donnelly". stmaryscathedral.org.uk. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014.
  22. ^ "Youth Village Opening". ymt.org. July 2010. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014.
  23. ^ "Ant & Dec Get Back on Home Turf – News – Official Ant & Dec". Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  24. ^ Deans, Jason (21 October 2002). "Ant and Dec sign two-year ITV deal". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  25. ^ Deans, Jason (24 September 2004). "Ant and Dec slip on ITV's golden handcuffs". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  26. ^ Gibson, Owen (18 April 2007). "Kings of Saturday night TV scoop £30m jackpot". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  27. ^ Holmwood, Leigh (17 April 2007). "Ant and Dec at ITV until 2009". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  28. ^ Deans, Jason (5 November 2009). "Ant and Dec sign two-year ITV deal". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  29. ^ Conlan, Tara (9 November 2011). "Ant and Dec extend 'golden handcuffs' deal with ITV". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  30. ^ Sweney, Mark (14 November 2016). "Ant and Dec sign £30m 'golden handcuffs' deal with ITV". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  31. ^ "No. 61608". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2016. p. B13.
  32. ^ "h2g2 – Ant and Dec – British Television Presenters". BBC. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  33. ^ "British Comedy Awards 2006: The Winners – TV News". Digital Spy. 13 December 2006. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  34. ^ Television – News – British Comedy Awards 2006: The Winners. Digital Spy (13 December 2006). Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  35. ^ "Ant and Dec top children's awards". BBC News. 14 September 2008. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  36. ^ Ant and Dec's Award Surprise. Sky UK. 8 August 2009
  37. ^ Emma Powell (24 January 2019). "Ant and Dec smash Guinness World Record with 18th NTAs win | London Evening Standard". Standard.co.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  38. ^ "Ant and Dec win trio of TV awards". BBC News. 15 October 2002. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  39. ^ "National TV Awards 2006: Full winners list – TV News". Digital Spy. 31 October 2006. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  40. ^ "National Television Awards: The Winners – TV News". Digital Spy. 30 October 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  41. ^ "Ant and Dec's Geordie Christmas (1997)". BFI. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
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