Declan Donnelly has been gracing British television since he was 12 years old in 1987, when he starred in Byker Grove, a children’s show for CBBC. Thanks to Byker Grove, Dec met Ant McPartlin, and the two have been working together ever since.
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Ant and Dec have been inseparable since, helping each other through difficult times, including Ant’s addiction issues, break-ups and weddings and more. In 2022, Dec experienced a great tragedy when his older brother, Father Dermott, passed away.
Dermott Donnelly led a very different life compared to his brother, favouring religion instead of fame and television.
Father Dermott Donnelly died in 2022
As mentioned above, Dermott Donnelly opted for a different path in life compared to his younger brother. According to the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, Dermott was ordained to the priesthood on 27 June 1992.
Father Dermott served in several parishes over the years, including Chester-le-Street, from 1992 to 1996 as an assistant.
He was then youth chaplain to the following parishes: Heddon House, from 1996 to 1997; Stockton St Mary’s, from 1997 to 1998; Blyth Convent, from 1998 to 2004; and Emmaus Youth Village, from 2004 to 2022.
Father Dermott was also the parish priest at Blackhill St Mary’s from 2010 to 2013, Newcastle St Mary’s Cathedral from 2013 to 2019, and Stanley St Joseph’s, Dipton St Patrick’s, and Byermoor Sacred Heart from 2019 to 2022.
In 2015, Declan married his partner Ali Astall in a star-studded ceremony in Newcastle. He asked his brother to officiate the event.
Father Dermott died on 8 July 2022. He was 55. According to BBC News, he passed away in hospital following a short illness. It is believed he had a brain bleed. Declan announced the tragic loss on social media.
Very sad to hear Father Dermott Donnelly has died. Worked with him a couple of times to promote his Youth Ministry Team Celebrity Golf Day and he was a really canny. pic.twitter.com/9YQw2fssPn
— Liz Luff (@LizLongstonePR) July 8, 2022
Declan Donnelly’s emotional speech
Father Dermott’s funeral was held at St Mary’s Cathedral in Newcastle. According to Entertainment Daily, Ant McPartlin attended the service to support his long-time friend. Moreover, the service was watched by 2,000 people via livestream.
Declan carried his brother’s coffin into the church; Ant arrived separately. The two were seen embracing each other outside the church as the hearse drove away.
Naturally, Declan spoke at his brother’s funeral. In an emotional moment, Dec admitted the ‘world is a slightly worse place’ following his brother’s death.
He still had so much more he wanted to do, so many more lives he needed to change. We can’t believe he’s gone, we still can’t understand why he’s gone – but we trust God took him because his talents were needed elsewhere. We as a family will miss him immeasurably.
Donnelly then reminisced about growing up with Dermott, who would comfort him in the middle of the night when he had nightmares:
Dermott and I, being the youngest boys, were confined to the bottom bunks. And on the occasions when my five- or six-year-old overactive imagination created monsters under the bed, I would run out of bed, jump into Dermott’s bunk and he would calm me down in the middle of the night with stories he invented.
Read more:
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Sources used:
BBC News: ‘Father Dermott Donnelly: Declan Donnelly's brother dies after illness’
Entertainment Daily: ‘Declan Donnelly’s heartbreak after death of brother: ‘The world is now a slightly worse place’
The Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle: ‘Fr Dermott Donnelly RIP’
