Last verified: 23 October 2026, 09:00 BST (UK time). We check this page again whenever a new statement is published. See the refresh log at the end.
The short answer on Declan Donnelly sad news
As of 23 October 2026, we have found no new, confirmed bereavement or health announcement from Declan Donnelly, his representatives, ITV or the PA news agency. If you searched “Declan Donnelly sad news today” expecting a breaking story, there isn’t a verified one.
Most of what turns up for this search goes back to one event: the death of Declan’s older brother, Fr Dermott Donnelly, a Catholic priest, in July 2022. That story was widely reported at the time and it is still the most-cited piece of “sad news” linked to his name. Many pages repost it without a date, which makes four-year-old news look current.
We have seen this happen many times on celebrity searches. A high-profile name plus an emotional phrase like “sad news” gets clicks, so low-quality sites keep republishing old material with new headlines. Below we set out what is actually confirmed, in order, with sources.
Key facts and verified statements
The death of Fr Dermott Donnelly
- Who he was: Fr Dermott Donnelly was a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle and one of Declan’s older siblings. Declan is the youngest of seven children, raised in a Catholic family of Irish heritage in Newcastle.
- What happened: He died in July 2022, aged 55, after a short illness. The diocese confirmed his death publicly.
- Declan’s tribute: Declan announced the news on social media, describing Dermott as his “darling brother”. The post drew a large public response, including support from his presenting partner Ant McPartlin.
- Later comments: Remarks reported around the funeral, including the line that the world was now “a slightly worse place” without him, were carried by several UK outlets.
- A family connection people remember: Fr Dermott officiated at Declan’s wedding to Ali Astall in August 2015 at St Michael’s Church in Elswick, Newcastle.
His father, Alphonsus Donnelly
Declan’s father, Alphonsus, died years before his brother. Some entertainment sites report this without a date or mix it up with the 2022 story. We have not been able to check an exact date against a primary source, so we are not publishing one. We will add it when we can.
Confirmed vs unverified: the quick table
| Claim | Status | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Brother Fr Dermott Donnelly died in July 2022, aged 55 | Confirmed | Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle; Declan’s own social post; widely reported by UK national media |
| Fr Dermott officiated at Declan’s 2015 wedding | Confirmed | Contemporary wedding coverage, 2015 |
| Declan’s father, Alphonsus, has died | Confirmed (exact date not yet checked by us) | Reported by entertainment media; date pending |
| A new 2026 bereavement in the Donnelly family | No evidence found | No statement from Declan, his reps, ITV or PA |
| A new 2026 health crisis for Declan | No evidence found | No official announcement |
| Early-2026 pieces about Declan and anxiety | Treat with caution | Mostly low-authority sites; we haven’t found these comments in a major outlet or primary interview |
| Viral “tribute” posts that recycle unrelated stories | Unverified | Scraped or AI-generated pages with no named source |
Timeline of Declan Donnelly’s sad news stories
- Before 2022 (date to be confirmed): Death of Declan’s father, Alphonsus Donnelly.
- 31 August 2015: Declan marries Ali Astall in Newcastle. His brother Fr Dermott leads the service.
- July 2022: Fr Dermott Donnelly dies aged 55 after a short illness. The diocese confirms it, Declan posts his tribute, and Ant McPartlin and other TV figures send public messages of support.
- July 2022: The funeral takes place in Newcastle and Declan’s comments about his brother are widely reported.
- January–February 2026: Low-authority sites publish pieces about Declan talking about anxiety. We have not matched these to a reputable original source.
- 23 October 2026: Status check. No new confirmed sad news.
Why it matters, and why the searches keep spiking
Why people search “Declan Donnelly sad news 2026”
Ant and Dec are among the most familiar faces on British TV. They have fronted I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, Britain’s Got Talent and Saturday Night Takeaway, so millions of people feel they know them. Any emotional headline gets a strong reaction.
Three things tend to cause a spike:
- Anniversaries. Interest rises every July, around the anniversary of Fr Dermott’s death.
- TV series starting. When I’m a Celebrity or BGT begins, people search for the presenters and old personal stories come back up.
- Clickbait. Vague headlines like “heartbreaking news for Dec” are written to make you click, not to tell you anything. Often the “news” turns out to be a show schedule change or a 2022 story.
How to tell real news from recycled news
This checklist works on any celebrity “sad news” search:
- Find the date. If a page has no publication date, or only says “updated” with no original date, be wary.
- Look for a primary source. Real news links to the person’s own social post, an official statement, ITV, PA or a named outlet such as the BBC.
- Check whether the facts are specific. Genuine reports say who, when and where. Recycled pages say “fans are devastated” and stop there.
- Look at the major outlets. If something serious had happened to Declan, the BBC, ITV News and the national papers would all be covering it within hours.
We use the same standard on our other explainers, for example Sara Davies’s health and body-image claims, where we separate what has been publicly confirmed from what has just been repeated.
The human side
Behind the search volume, a family lost a brother, son and priest who was well known in his community. Declan has kept his family life fairly private. He and Ali have two children, and he tends to share personal news only when he chooses to. That is worth respecting. Losing a sibling in your fifties, after a short illness, is hard whether or not you are famous.
If you want to read more about how well-known presenters balance family life with a public career, our profiles of Davina McCall’s children and family life and Helen Skelton take the same careful approach.
What happens next
There are no confirmed upcoming announcements, and we won’t guess. Here is what we are watching:
- Declan’s verified social accounts and any joint Ant and Dec statements.
- ITV press releases about his presenting work.
- PA Media and national outlets for any confirmed reporting.
- The Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle for anything about Fr Dermott’s memorials.
Refresh schedule: We check this page daily while search interest is high, such as during a new TV series or around July anniversaries, and weekly at other times. If anything changes, we will update the summary at the top and add a dated entry below.
Refresh log
- 23 October 2026 (BST): Published. No new confirmed sad news found. Father’s exact date of death still pending verification.
You can find more presenter and personality explainers in our Profiles section, including who James Patrick Kielty is.
FAQs
What happened to Declan Donnelly?
Nothing new has been confirmed. As of 23 October 2026 (BST), there is no verified new bereavement or health announcement. The ‘sad news’ most often linked to him is the death of his older brother, Fr Dermott Donnelly, a Catholic priest who died aged 55 in July 2022 after a short illness.
Is there Declan Donnelly sad news today?
Not as of our last check on 23 October 2026. No statement has come from Declan, his representatives, ITV or PA. Pages that suggest otherwise are usually recycling the 2022 story about his brother.
When did Father Dermott Donnelly die?
Fr Dermott Donnelly died in July 2022, aged 55, after a short illness. The Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle confirmed his death and Declan paid tribute on social media, calling him his ‘darling brother’. Fr Dermott had officiated at Declan’s wedding to Ali Astall in 2015.
Did Declan Donnelly’s dad die?
Yes. Declan’s father, Alphonsus Donnelly, died years before his brother Dermott. We are not publishing an exact date until we have checked it against a reliable primary source.
What has been officially confirmed?
Confirmed: his brother Fr Dermott’s death in July 2022, the diocese statement, Declan’s public tribute, and his father’s earlier death. Not confirmed: any new 2026 bereavement or health crisis, and the early-2026 anxiety claims that circulated on low-authority sites.
Is Declan Donnelly okay?
There is no official indication otherwise. He has not made any public health announcement, and we will update this page if a verified statement is released.
