Real life of Declan Donnelly - pop star past, marrying his manager and close bond with Ant

Declan Donnelly is part of one of TV's most famous presenting duos that have fronted primetime shows for nearly 30 years. Together with Ant McPartlin, Ant and Dec, have won dozens of awards over the years for their talent in front of the camera for shows including I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, Britain's Got Talent and SMTV Live.

Another award-winning show the duo front is Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway which returns to ITV on Saturday night. First launched in 2002, the show which is now in its 20th series, consists of a selection of comical games, participation from studio audience members or unsuspecting members of the public, with a musical or dance performance to finish.

And prior to the new series starting Ant and Dec confirmed they will be taking a break from the show once this run has ended. Speaking to Fault magazine this week, Ant said: “Part of the reason we’re pausing Takeaway is we need a break ourselves, and we need to spend some time with our family.

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“We’ve both got children that we need to spend time with for a little bit.”

It all began for Dec in Newcastle where he was raised by his parents Alphonsus and Anne who had moved to England from Northern Ireland in the 1950s. He was the youngest of seven children and was raised on the Cruddas Park council estate.

Dec received eight GCSEs at high school and, after reportedly considering a career as a Catholic priest, he instead gravitated towards television. After being cast as Duncan in CBBC's Byker Grove in 1989, Dec's life would change forever.

It was here where he met his future best friend and presenting partner Ant, who played the role of PJ in the children's drama. The pair