Declan Donnelly

Declan Joseph Oliver Donnelly, born on 25 September 1975, is an English television presenter, producer, comedian, former singer, rapper, and actor. He is best known for working alongside Anthony McPartlin as part of the television presenting duo Ant & Dec. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne to parents Alphonsus and Anne Donnelly, who moved from Desertmartin, Northern Ireland, in the 1950s, he was raised on a council estate in Cruddas Park alongside six siblings. Donnelly attended St Michael's Roman Catholic Primary School and St Cuthbert's High School, receiving 8 GCSEs. Although he initially considered becoming a Catholic priest, he ultimately chose a career in television.

Donnelly began his broadcasting career at age 12 after auditioning for the CBBC children's drama series Byker Grove. Securing the role of Duncan, he met McPartlin on the show, and the pair worked together until their departure in 1993, developing a lasting friendship. After a brief tenure performing as the pop music duo PJ & Duncan, they transitioned into hosting television programmes together under the name Ant & Dec.

Their early presenting roles included hosting The Ant and Dec Show on BBC1 and Ant & Dec Unzipped on Channel 4. From 1998 to 2001, they fronted ITV's Saturday morning children's show SMTV Live. Leaving the show in 2001, the duo branched out to present various prime-time entertainment, game, and talent shows. These included Friends Like These, Pop Idol, PokerFace, Push the Button, Red or Black?, and Britain's Got Talent.

Donnelly gained further prominent recognition co-hosting major series such as I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. In 2018, he co-hosted I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! with Holly Willoughby, and presented remaining episodes of Saturday Night Takeaway and live semi-finals of Britain's Got Talent individually. Beyond presenting, Donnelly and McPartlin starred in a 2002 tribute remake episode of Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? and the 2006 feature film Alien Autopsy. They also manage their own production company, Mitre Television.

Donnelly married the duo's manager, Ali Astall, on 1 August 2015 in Elswick, Tyne and Wear, with McPartlin acting as best man and his late brother, Father Dermott Donnelly, officiating. The couple has two children, daughter Isla and son Jack. Donnelly also acted as best man for McPartlin's weddings in 2006 and 2021. He is a practising Roman Catholic.

Additionally, Donnelly has engaged in several charitable endeavours. Alongside McPartlin, he served as a host for the Text Santa charity appeals between 2011 and 2014, and became a patron of the Sunshine Fund. In 2012, the duo donated proceeds from their number-one single Let's Get Ready to Rhumble to ChildLine. Donnelly has also supported the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle's Youth Ministry Team and assisted in opening the W4 Youth Centre in 2013. In the 2016 Birthday Honours, Donnelly was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to broadcasting and entertainment.