Declan Joseph Oliver Donnelly (born 25 September 1975) is a British television presenter, television producer, former singer, rapper, comedian and actor from

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He is best known for working alongside

Ant McPartlin Anthony David McPartlin (born 18 November 1975) is an English television presenter, singer, rapper, comedian and actor. He is best known for working alongside Dec Donnelly as part of the presenting duo Ant & Dec. McPartlin came to prominence ...

as part of the presenting duo

Ant & Dec Ant & Dec are a British television presenter, television presenting duo, consisting of Anthony McPartlin (born 18 November 1975) and Declan Donnelly (born 25 September 1975), from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Formed after their meeting as chil ...

. Donnelly came to prominence, alongside McPartlin, in the children's drama series ''

Byker Grove Byker is a district in the east of the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne. Home to the Byker Wall estate, made famous by TV series '' Byker Grove'', Byker’s population was recorded at 12,206 in the 2011 census. Byker is borde ...

'', with both men establishing successful careers as television presenters, in which they are most known for presenting ''

SMTV Live ''SMTV Live'' (an abbreviation of ''Saturday Morning Television Live'', and also stylised as ''SM: LIVE'') was a British Saturday morning children's television programme, produced by Blaze Television for ITV. Operating on a similar format to o ...

'' (between 1998–2001), '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' and ''

Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway ''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' (referred to simply as ''Saturday Night Takeaway'' or ''SNT'') is a British television variety show, created and presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially known as Ant & Dec), an ...

'' (since 2002), and ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially ...

'' (since 2007). Other notable highlights of Donnelly's career alongside McPartlin include presenting ''

PokerFace ''PokerFace'' (also known as ''Ant & Dec's PokerFace'') is a British game show broadcast on ITV, where one person is guaranteed to win £1 million. The show was created by Ant & Dec, who also host it. As implied by the title, ''PokerFace'', i ...

'', '' Push the Button'', ''

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and par ...

'', and ''

Red or Black? ''Red or Black?'' is a British television game show which was broadcast on ITV between 3 September 2011 and 29 September 2012. In each round, contestants choose red or black, with those that choose the incorrect colour being eliminated. During ...

'', being hosts of charity appeal ''

Text Santa ''Text Santa'' was a charity initiative set up in 2011 by ITV to support UK-based charities during the Christmas period. The appeal to the public is to donate money mainly via text donation and profits from merchandise. The telethons have been h ...

'' (between 2011 and 2014), and also performing as

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

duo

PJ & Duncan Ant & Dec are a British television presenting duo, consisting of Anthony McPartlin (born 18 November 1975) and Declan Donnelly (born 25 September 1975), from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Formed after their meeting as child actors on CBBC's dr ...

Early life

Donnelly is the child of Northern Irish parents Alphonsus Donnelly and Anne Donnelly, who originally resided in

Desertmartin Desertmartin (;Toner, Gregory: ''Place-Names of Northern Ireland'', page 85. Queen's University of Belfast, 1996, )Flanagan, Deirdre & Laurence: ''Irish Place Names'', page 202. Gill & Macmillan Ltd., 2002. is a small village in County Londonde ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

before moving to England in the 1950s, settling in

. He is among seven children the couple raised within the

council estate Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...

of Cruddas Park. 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.THE IoS PROFILE: Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly; Likely lad
Archived from ''The Independent'' (London) Although he eventually moved towards a career in television, he originally considered becoming a

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

but changed his mind upon seeing the students from the all-girls Sacred Heart Catholic High School.

Career

Donnelly's career in television began at the age of 12, when his father suggested that he audition for ''

'', a new children's television programme being created by

CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...

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 Anthony David McPartlin (born 18 November 1975) is an English television presenter, singer, rapper, comedian and actor. He is best known for working alongside Dec Donnelly as part of the presenting duo Ant & Dec. McPartlin came to prominence ...

. Although he was raised in an estate close to Donnelly, McPartlin had never met him until their involvement in the children's drama. 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

. 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 ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

's saturday morning children's programme ''

''. After leaving the programme in 2001, the pair branched out to front other shows, including game shows – ''

Friends Like These ''Friends Like These'' is a British game show that was broadcast on BBC One first as a pilot on 6 November 1999 and then as a full series from 12 February 2000 until 20 September 2003. It was presented by Ant & Dec from 1999 to 2001 and later b ...

'', ''

'' and '' Push the Button'' – talent shows – ''

'', and ''

'' – and entertainment programmes – '' I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'', and ''

''. The pair continued to maintain acting careers, starring in a tribute to ''

The Likely Lads ''The Likely Lads'' is a British sitcom created and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais and produced by Dick Clement. Twenty episodes were broadcast by the BBC, in three series, between 16 December 1964 and 23 July 1966. However, only te ...

'' in 2002, in the form of a remake of an episode from the show's sequel ''

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'' is a British sitcom which was broadcast on BBC1 between 9 January 1973 and 9 April 1974. It was the colour sequel to the mid-1960s hit '' The Likely Lads''. It was created and written, as was its prede ...

'', entitled "No Hiding Place", and in 2006 film ''

Alien Autopsy The alien autopsy is a 17-minute black-and-white film supposedly depicting a secret medical examination or autopsy of an alien by the United States military.Barton, Steve (September 30, 2010)"Ray Santilli, Gary Shoefield Talk the Real Alien Auto ...

''. Ant & Dec have their own production company Mitre Television where they produce their shows.

Personal life

On 22 July 2006, Donnelly was the best man for McPartlin's wedding to Lisa Armstrong. In August 2011, Donnelly attended his father's funeral, after Alphonsus died in hospital of cancer. Donnelly dated actress Clare Buckfield for ten years between 1993 and 2003, and television presenter

Georgie Thompson Georgina Jane Ainslie, Lady Ainslie (born 25 September 1977), better known as Georgie Thompson, is an English television presenter. Education Thompson was educated at Queenswood School, an independent boarding school for girls near Hatfield ...

from January 2009 until April 2011. 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, with the marriage taking place at St Michael's Roman Catholic Church,

Elswick, Tyne and Wear Elswick ( ) is a district and electoral ward of the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, 1.9 miles west of the city centre, bordering the River Tyne. Historically in Northumberland, Elswick became part of Newcastle upo ...

, on 1 August 2015. The ceremony was conducted by his brother, Father Dermott Donnelly, a Catholic priest, with McPartlin as his best man. On 1 September 2018, after announcing earlier in the year that the couple were expecting their first child, Donnelly's wife gave birth to a daughter, whom the couple revealed had been named as Isla Elizabeth Anne. On 19 March 2018, after his colleague McPartlin's car crash, it was announced that Donnelly would be presenting the remaining episodes of ''

'' and the live semi-finals of ''

'' on his own. In November 2019, it was revealed that Dec is a distant cousin of the American pro wrestling promoter

Dixie Carter Dixie Virginia Carter (May 25, 1939 – April 10, 2010) was an American actress. She starred as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom ''Designing Women'' (1986–1993) and as Randi King on the drama series ''Family Law (American TV series), Family La ...

. His elder brother Dermott died after a short illness on 8 July 2022 at age 55. Donnelly has stated that he is a practising

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

but does not publicly discuss religion or his family in depth. On 23 July 2022, Donnelly and Astall welcomed their second child Jack Anthony Alphonsus Donnelly, whose middle names were chosen in tribute to his grandfathers.

Charity

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

appeal. Donnelly also supports the

Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church, centred on St Mary's Cathedral in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in England. The diocese is one of the six suffragan sees in the ecclesiastic ...

's Youth Ministry Team, directed by one of his older brothers, Dermott Donnelly, former dean of St Mary's Cathedral in Newcastle. They opened the W4 Youth Centre in 2013.

Earnings

In 2007, Donnelly and McPartlin signed a 2½ year, £30 million contract with

. He had an estimated net worth of around £64 million in 2018.

Honours and awards

Donnelly was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

2016 Birthday Honours The 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as pa ...

for services to broadcasting and entertainment. 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: 1994 *Brit Award Nomination – Best Song: "Let's Get Ready to Rhumble" 1995 *Brit Award Nomination – British Breakthrough *Royal Television Society Awards- ''The Ant and Dec Show'' 1996 *

British Academy Children's Awards The British Academy Children's Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). They have been awarded annually since 1996, before which time they were a part of the main British Aca ...

: Children's Entertainment Show (''The Ant and Dec Show'') 1997 *Nominated –

: Children's Entertainment Show (''The Ant and Dec Show'') 1998 *

: Children's Entertainment Show (''Ant and Dec Unzipped'') 2000 *

: Children's Entertainment Show (''

'') *

TV Choice Awards ''TV Choice'' is a British weekly TV listings magazine published by H. Bauer Publishing, the UK subsidiary of family-run German company Bauer Media Group.SMTV Live ''SMTV Live'' (an abbreviation of ''Saturday Morning Television Live'', and also stylised as ''SM: LIVE'') was a British Saturday morning children's television programme, produced by Blaze Television for ITV. Operating on a similar format to o ...

'') *

Royal Television Society Awards The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

: Best Children's Entertainment Programme (''

'') *TV Hits Awards: Best Teen Show ('' CD:UK'') *Loaded Carling Good Work Fellas Awards: Best Double Act *British Comedy Awards: The People's Choice (''

'') 2001 *

'') *Broadcast Awards: Best Children's Programme (''

'') *

: Best Television Presenters *Disney Channel Awards: Kids Awards (''The Ant and Dec Show'') *Nominated –

: Best Children's Entertainment Show (''

'') 2002 *Nominated –

British Academy Television Awards The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...

: Entertainment Performance (''

'') *

: Children's Entertainment Show (''

'') 2005 *Nominated –

: Entertainment Performance ('' I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'') 2006 *British Comedy Awards: Best Comedy Entertainment Personality *British Comedy Awards: Best Comedy Entertainment ProgrammeTelevision – News – British Comedy Awards 2006: The Winners
''Digital Spy'' (13 December 2006). Retrieved 5 May 2012. 2007 *Nominated –

: Entertainment Performance (''

'') 2008 *

TV Quick ''TV Quick'' was a British weekly television listing magazine published by H Bauer Publishing, the UK subsidiary of family-run German company Bauer Media Group. It featured weekly television listings running from Saturday to Friday, and began pub ...

& TV Choice Awards: Best Entertainment Show (''Saturday Night Takeaway'') * Nickelodeon UK Kids Choice Awards 2008: Favourite Funny Person, Best TV presenters and Best Family TV show (''Britain's Got Talent'') 2009 *TV Quick & TV Choice Awards: Best Entertainment Show (''

'') *TV Quick & TV Choice Awards:Outstanding Contribution Award *Nominated –

: Entertainment Performance ('' I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'') 2010 *

: Entertainment Performance ('' I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'') *

: Entertainment Programme (''

'') 2012 *

Freesat Freesat is a British free-to-air satellite television service, first formed as a joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc and now owned by Digital UK. The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008. Free ...

: Best TV Presenter(s) 2013 *

TRIC Awards The Television and Radio Industries Club (widely known as TRIC) is a British institution chartered in 1931 to "promote goodwill in the television and radio industries". The Club holds an annual awards ceremony each March honouring achievement in te ...

: TV Personality of the Year *TRIC Awards: TRIC Special Award (''I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'') *

RTS Awards The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

: Entertainment Performance (''I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'') *Nominated –

: Entertainment Performance (''I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'') 2014 *

: Entertainment Performance (''

'') *

: Entertainment Programme (''

'') 2015 *

: Entertainment Performance (''

'') *

: Entertainment Programme (''

'') 2017 *British Academy Television Awards: Entertainment Programme (Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway) *British Academy Television Awards: Live Event (The Queen's 90th Birthday Celebration) 2018 *British Academy Television Awards: Entertainment Programme (''

'') 2019 *''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'': Most NTA's for Best Presenter won consecutively at 18 *British Academy Television Awards: Entertainment Programme (''

'') *British Academy Television Awards: Reality And Constructed Factual Programme (''I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!'')

National Television Awards

Filmography

Television

Film

Television advertisements

Apps

*An official '' Saturday Night Takeaway'' app known as ''Studio Rush'' launched on 30 January 2013 but has been removed. *An official ''

I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' is a British reality TV series in which a number of celebrities live together in a jungle environment for a number of weeks, competing to be crowned "King" or "Queen of the Jungle". The show was or ...

'' app launched on 9 November 2015.

References

External links

* *
Cult of Ant&Dec HQOfficial Ant and Dec website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donnelly, Declan 1975 births Ant & Dec Best Entertainment Performance BAFTA Award (television) winners British male television actors British male child actors British people of Northern Ireland descent British Roman Catholics British television presenters Living people Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at St. Cuthbert's School Male actors from Newcastle upon Tyne Musicians from Newcastle upon Tyne