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Dec Donnelly ‘Delighted’ To Be Expecting First Baby With Wife Ali Astall

Dec Donnelly ‘Delighted’ To Be Expecting First Baby With Wife Ali Astall

The pair has been married since 2014

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

As Dec Donnelly is gearing up to host Saturday Night Takeaway without his on and off-screen pal Ant McPartlin next week - it seems as though he might have a bigger priority on his hands in a few months: a baby.

According to the Sun, the 42-year-old and wife Ali Astall are expecting their first child together.

PA

A source close to the pair has told the newspaper: "They are both absolutely delighted to be expecting - especially as they have been trying for some time.

"This has come at a difficult time for them both, given everything that Ant is now going through and the pressure that has put on Dec in the past week.

"They have both always wanted a family but worried that it might not happen for them."

Dec and Ali have been married since 2014 and tied the knot at St Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Elswick with Ant as his best man.

Ant is off to seek treatment after being arrested for drink driving, meaning Dec will be leaning on Stephen Mulhern and Scarlett Moffatt to help him host Saturday Night Takeaway.

There was doubt whether the final few episodes would even go to air, but ITV wanted to honour its commitment to host the finale in America. Executives were keen to keep the show on air, but agreed the decision would be left up to Dec, who has never worked without Ant since they started presenting together.

The final episode of the series will still take place at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, where a string of prizes had been arranged for winning fans from throughout the series.

The 42-year-old posted a statement today on their joint Twitter page saying: "Whilst I never thought I'd be in this position, after much discussion and careful consideration we've decided that the remaining two shows of this series of Saturday Night Takeaway will go ahead.

ITV Picture Desk

"We made a promise to take hundreds of deserving winners to Florida to watch the series finale, and we will honour that.

"Everyone at ITV and the Takeaway team feels we owe it to the audience to complete the series."

A source close to Ant and Dec said: "Dec is speaking to Ant throughout this process. But obviously Dec is in a bad state of mind because this is a situation where there are no winners.

"Dec made the decision totally alone, with the full support of ITV."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Pregnancy, Baby, Entertainment, TV and Film, Celebrity, Ant McPartlin, Dec Donnelly, UK, Child