TELLY star Declan Donnelly has a staggering amount of money which he has raked in over the years thanks to his glowing television career.
We can reveal that Dec, 49, has an eye-watering £35million tied up in a single company he runs.
The entertainment legend owns a firm called Deecourt Limited where he’s been investing his monster earnings.
And books filed with Companies House last week, for the trading year to the end of June 2024, show its huge value.
He has the monster sum in investments – with £900,000 in readies.
The firm’s bottom line with creditors paid is £34.4m for 2024 – up from £31.1m in the previous year.
A firm he runs with sidekick Ant McPartlin, called Hurley Promotions Ltd, is worth £2.7m.
Dec is currently on the box with Ant for the Britain’s Got Talent auditions.
His Deecourt business used to run parallel with his mate’s Teecourt Ltd.
But the latter was closed by Ant to fund his divorce from Lisa Armstrong.
They founded the firms to bank their TV presenting fees and lucrative ad deals such as their Santander bank tie-up.
RENEWED SERIES
The telly duo has the Midas touch when it comes to TV shows, and they have just inked a deal to return to host two more series of ITV game show Limitless Win.
The quiz programme sees contestants answer questions with no limit to how much money they could win while facing the risk of leaving empty-handed if they give a wrong answer.
Presented by the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! hosts, the show will return to screens in 2026 and 2027, along with a Christmas special this December.
Ant said of the show coming back: “We’re really pleased that Limitless Win is coming back for another two series and some Christmas specials.
“People stop us all the time, saying how much they love the show and play along with their family. It’s exciting, it’s such a hit with viewers.”
Ant and Dec’s incredible career
ANT McPartlin and Declan Donnelly met on the set of Byker Grove in 1990.
The two went on to have chart success under their characters’ names – including their 1994 No1 smash hit Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble.
They haven’t looked back since then, going on to present some of the most popular shows on TV.
Here’s a rundown of some of their most popular shows – plus one “dud”.
- The Ant & Dec Show – this late afternoon kids’ entertainment series ran from 1995-1996 for 17 episodes
- Ant & Dec Unzipped – the twosome jumped from ITV to Channel 4 for this children’s sketch show in 1997
- SM:TV Live – the duo teamed up with Cat Deeley in 1998 for Saturday morning mayhem including the classic Wonkey Donkey game
- Friends Like These – the Geordie pair hopped channels again, landing on BBC One to present this game show from 1999 until 2001
- Pop Idol – before The X Factor there was Pop Idol, which ran for two seasons in 2001 and 2002 and saw Michelle McManus and Will Young crowned the winners
- I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here – the reality TV show began in 2002, with Dec presenting all 23 seasons, even one without sidekick Ant as Holly Willoughby stepped up
- Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway – this show also began in 2002, but the lads said the 2024 offering would be their last
- PokerFace – Ant and Dec created this game show which aired from 2006-2007. with a top prize of £1million.
- Britain’s Got Talent – the TV series began in 2007 with the pair’s backstage antics loved by fans. They also took part in silly competitions on Stephen Mulhern’s ITV spin-off Britain’s Got More Talent
- Red Or Black – the show only aired for two seasons in 2011 and 2012. It was one of the pair’s rare “flops” with Dec admitting “we got it wrong”
- Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win – the pair had another success on their hands when this show hit screens in 2022
Limitless Win is the only show of its kind to offer a limitless cash jackpot and has given away £3.5 million pounds since it first started in 2022.
Dec said in a statement published by ITV: “We’d love to go further up the ladder than we’ve ever been. We want the contestants to go as high as possible.
“That’s the magic of Limitless Win, you never know, you might just know the exact answer to the question.”
BYKER GROVE REBOOT?
Ant and Dec shot to fame on Byker Grove, which is where they met and became friends.
In the show, Ant played Peter Jenkins (PJ) and Dec played Duncan Sperring.
Byker Grove was a popular TV series throughout the 90s, with Ant and Dec both finding fame on the show.
The drama series was about a group of young people who attended the Byker Grove Youth Centre in Newcastle.
The TV programme aired between 1989 and 2006, with the programme being shown on CBBC and BBC One.
The popular drama series was aimed at an older teenager and young adult audience, tackling serious and sometimes controversial storylines.
The show is notable for depicting the first gay kiss on children’s television, as well as its breach of the fourth wall in the final series.
There were rumours that the show would be rebooted last year, with it set to be produced by Ant and Dec.
‘LET’S GET IT OVER WITH’
Speaking to The Sun at the NTAs in September 2024, the presenters shared an update regarding the revival
Ant said: “The show is still ongoing, it is still in development. We are currently looking at cast and looking at story arc’s.
“It is taking longer than normal entertainment television as we are used to things being on screen quickly.
“We are like ‘come on let’s get it over with”.
Dec added: “Let’s just do it live!”
Meanwhile, the duo were also asked if they would consider appearing on camera for the new show.
Dec replied: “We don’t know yet, we don’t know yet! We’ve had those discussions and we have differences of opinions on that – yeah we don’t know yet.”
Ant and Dec’s Byker Grove revival – titled Byker – was first announced back in July 2023.
