Declan Donnelly facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Declan Donnelly OBE
Donnelly in 2024
Born	Declan Joseph Oliver Donnelly (1975-09-25) 25 September 1975 (age 49) Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Education	St Michael's Roman Catholic Primary School St Cuthbert's High School
Occupation	Television presenter television producer former singer comedian actor rapper
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Ali Astall ​ (m. 2015)​
Partner(s)	Clare Buckfield (1993–2003)
Children	2

Declan Joseph Oliver Donnelly (born 25 September 1975) is a well-known British television presenter and producer. He is most famous for being one half of the presenting team Ant & Dec, working alongside Ant McPartlin.

Declan, often called Dec, grew up in Newcastle upon Tyne. He first became known, along with Ant, in the children's TV show Byker Grove. After that, they built very successful careers as TV presenters. They are especially known for hosting popular shows like SMTV Live (from 1998 to 2001), I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (since 2002), Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (from 2002 to 2024), and Britain's Got Talent (since 2007).

Other important parts of Dec's career with Ant include presenting Pop Idol and Text Santa, a charity appeal. They even performed as a pop music duo called PJ & Duncan.

Early Life and Education

Declan Donnelly's parents, Alphonsus and Anne Donnelly, moved to Newcastle upon Tyne, England, from Northern Ireland in the 1950s. Dec was one of seven children they raised in the Cruddas Park area.

Dec went to St Michael's Roman Catholic Primary School. Later, he attended St Cuthbert's High School, an all-boys school, where he earned 8 GCSEs. Even though he became a TV star, he once thought about becoming a Catholic priest. However, he changed his mind after meeting students from the nearby Sacred Heart Catholic High School.

Television Career and Partnership

Dec's TV career started when he was 12 years old. His father suggested he try out for Byker Grove, a new children's show being made by CBBC in Newcastle. Dec got the part of Duncan, and that's where he first met Anthony McPartlin. Even though they lived in nearby areas, they had never met before Byker Grove. They worked together on the show until 1993, becoming close friends both at work and outside of it.

Donnelly (right) with Ant McPartlin (left) in 2014

After a short time making music, Dec and Ant became the famous presenting duo Ant & Dec. They first hosted children's TV shows like 'The Ant and Dec Show' on BBC1 and 'Ant & Dec Unzipped' on Channel 4. They then moved to ITV to host the Saturday morning children's show SMTV Live.

After leaving SMTV Live in 2001, they started hosting other types of shows. These included game shows like PokerFace, talent shows such as Pop Idol and Britain's Got Talent, and big entertainment shows like I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. They also continued acting, appearing in a tribute to The Likely Lads in 2002 and the 2006 film Alien Autopsy.

Ant & Dec also have their own company, Mitre Television, which produces their shows.

Personal Life and Family

On 22 July 2006, Dec was the best man at Ant McPartlin's first wedding. He was also Ant's best man again when Ant married Anne-Marie Corbett on 7 August 2021. Dec gave an emotional speech, calling Ant the "best friend a man could have."

In August 2011, Dec's father, Alphonsus, passed away from cancer.

Dec dated actress Clare Buckfield for ten years, from 1993 to 2003. He also dated TV presenter Georgie Thompson from 2009 to 2011.

On 13 November 2014, Dec got engaged to Ali Astall, who was the duo's manager. They had been together for over a year. They got married on 1 August 2015, at St Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Elswick, Tyne and Wear. Dec's brother, Father Dermott Donnelly, who is a Catholic priest, led the ceremony. Ant McPartlin was Dec's best man.

On 1 September 2018, Dec and Ali welcomed their first child, a daughter named Isla.

In March 2018, after an incident involving his colleague Ant McPartlin, Dec presented the remaining episodes of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and the live semi-finals of Britain's Got Talent by himself.

In November 2019, it was shared that Dec is a distant cousin of American wrestling promoter Dixie Carter. He is also related to footballer Aaron Donnelly. Sadly, his older brother Dermott passed away on 8 July 2022 at age 55 after a short illness.

Dec has said that he is a practicing Roman Catholic, but he usually keeps his religious beliefs and family life private.

On 23 July 2022, Dec and Ali welcomed their second child, a boy named Jack. They gave him the middle names 'Anthony' and 'Alphonsus' to honor Dec's best friend Ant McPartlin and his late father.

Charity Work

Dec and Ant McPartlin are supporters of the Sunshine Fund charity. When their song "Let's Get Ready to Rhumble" reached No.1 in 2012, they gave the money earned from the song to the charity ChildLine. They also support the Text Santa appeal, which raises money for various charities.

Dec also helps the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle's Youth Ministry Team. This team was directed by his older brother, Dermott Donnelly. In 2013, they opened the W4 Youth Centre.

Awards and Recognition

Declan Donnelly was given the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2016. This was for his great work in broadcasting and entertainment.

He has won many television awards, mostly with Anthony McPartlin as Ant & Dec. Here are some of their notable awards:

National Television Awards

Ant & Dec have won the National Television Award for Most Popular TV Presenter for many years in a row, setting a Guinness World Record!

Filmography

Television Shows

Movies

TV Commercials

Apps

• An official Saturday Night Takeaway app called Studio Rush was released on 30 January 2013, but it has since been removed.
• An official I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! app was launched on 9 November 2015.