Dec Donnelly’s family life from daughter’s sweet name to son’s bittersweet birth
After more than twenty years on our telly, Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are back for the 20th series of Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.
After the fantastic first show last Saturday, 24 February, the lads return tonight for more fun. But sadly, this is going to be the last series of the popular ITV show, as the boys are planning to work on other things and focus on spending time with their respective families.
While the presenting pair, who first became famous on Byker Grove in 1989, are well-known faces on our telly, they lead much quieter lives away from the limelight with their partners. Dec, who is forty-eight years old, has been married to his wife Ali Astall, who works as a talent manager, since 2015 and together they have two children, Isla, five, and Jack, one.
Even though they keep their children's lives private, they have shared some details. For example, Isla's middle name, Anne, is a special tribute to Dec's mum. Meanwhile, after the sad passing of Dec's brother Father Dermott Donnelly in 2022, Dec and Ali said that their son Jack Anthony Alphonsus was a "welcome ray of light" and revealed that they'd given him a very sweet nickname.
"Shortly before 10am yesterday, 23.7.2022, Ali and I welcomed the arrival of our son, Jack Anthony Alphonsus, a very welcome ray of light. He is wonderful and Isla is beyond excited to be a big sister! ," Dec shared on Instagram. Little Jack's middle name is a nod to Dec's best mate and telly partner, Ant McPartlin, and it also remembers Dec's dad, Alphonsus, who sadly died in 2011.
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Declan Donnelly and his wife Ali have been married since 2015 (PA)
Dec announced the birth of his son in 2022 with a sweet picture (antanddec/Instagram)Dec has talked about being a dad in his and Ant's book 'Once Upon a Tyne'. He said becoming a dad changed him a lot. "Becoming a dad has completely transformed me. At first, like all expectant parents, I didn't truly understand how much it was going to change me," he said in the book.
"I just thought it was another little person coming to live in the house... It opened up a whole other side to me, a side I didn't know existed." He also talked about how much he loves his daughter, saying, "I felt a love that I didn't realise it was possible to feel. Everything I do, every day, is for my daughter now."
Ant and Dec have been making us laugh on Saturday Night Takeaway since 2002. But after 20 years, they've decided to stop for a bit. "We love making Saturday Night Takeaway, but reaching the milestone of 20 series seemed like the perfect time to pause for a little while and catch our breath," said Ant when he told everyone the big news last year.
Ant talked more about why they're taking a break from the show last month, saying he wants to spend more time with his family. "On a more personal level, part of the reason we're pausing Takeaway is we need a break ourselves, and we need to spend some time with our family," he said. He told Fault magazine:
"We've both got children that we need to spend time with for a little bit. We need time to think and, and time to step back and look at the bigger picture and just see where we are now," Ant added. Married to Anne-Marie Corbett since 2021, Ant shares two stepchildren with his former PA.
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