Dec Donnelly and his wife Ali Astall are reportedly expecting their first child.
According to The Sun, the pair, who wed in 2015, are ‘delighted to be expecting – especially since they have been trying for some time.’
Reports of their growing family comes hot on the heels of Dec preparing to host Saturday Night Takeaway himself, in light of presenting partner Ant McPartlin heading to rehab following his recent drink-drive arrest.
‘They are delighted’: Dec Donnelly, 42, and his wife Ali Astall are reportedly expecting their first child
It is alleged that the couple first learnt they were pregnant soon after Dec left the Australian jungle after the last series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Oh Here! finished in December.
‘They have been keeping the pregnancy a closely guarded secret, but now that Ali is safely over 12 weeks, they are starting to let people know,’ it is claimed of the happy news, with the source quickly adding that they have told ‘key people at ITV’.
Ali has reportedly told her close colleagues and will be stepping away from work commitments to ‘look after herself’ and to enjoy an ‘easy’ pregnancy.
‘They have both always wanted a family but worried that it might not happen for them.’
A representative for Dec and Ali refused to comment on the claims when approached by MailOnline.
Growing family: According to The Sun, the pair, who wed in 2015, are ‘delighted to be expecting – especially since they have been trying for some time’
Woes: Reports of their growing family comes hot on the heels of Dec preparing to host Saturday Night Takeaway himself, in light of Ant McPartlin heading to rehab following his recent drink-drive arrest
It has also been inevitable to ignore the fact that his happy news comes hot on the heels of his best friend Ant’s woes.
‘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,’ it was said, before adding that ‘their priority now is their baby and an experience that they see as the best of their lives.’
Dec and Ali – who has acted as the presenting duo’s manager for over a decade – married in Elswick, Tyne and Wear in August 2015 after two years of dating.
Happy news: It is alleged that the couple first learnt they were pregnant soon after the last series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Oh Here! finished in December
It is claimed of their delight: ‘They have been keeping the pregnancy a closely guarded secret, but now that Ali is safely over 12 weeks, they are starting to let people know’
In an interview with Fabulous magazine in February last year, Ant and Dec both said that the focus in their lives has always been on their families as they bared all about marriage and hopefully having children in the near future.
Ant – who had previously spoken about his struggles with having children and of course has since split from his wife – revealed he would be ‘over the moon’ to become a dad, while Dec echoed similar wishes.
Dec said: ‘Absolutely at some point, when the time is right! We’ll have to put some time in the diary. Things are pretty busy!’
In April of last year, while recording the finale of the 2017 season of Saturday Night Takeaway at Walt Disney World in Florida, both men admitted that being there made them feel a little ‘broody’.
Mum to be: Ali has reportedly told her close colleagues and will be stepping away from work commitments to ‘look after herself’ and to enjoy an ‘easy’ pregnancy
As reported in OK!, Dec said: ‘It is almost like a prescription – everyone should come and spend a couple of days in Disney once in their life. Would we come back with a little Ant and Dec? Oh, definitely!
‘We saw it on the show, what it means for young ones to come out here. It would be one of those things to do with children, definitely.’
This comes after Ant – who split from wife Lisa Armstrong earlier this year after 11 years of marriage – was arrested for a drink drive incident over the weekend and has since made the quick decision to return to rehab earlier this week.
One onlooker, Jake Spencer, said the Britain’s Got Talent star was argumentative towards cops when they tried to put him in a police car after he failed a breath test.
A source added: ‘They have both always wanted a family but worried that it might not happen for them’
Love: Dec and Ali – who has acted as the presenting duo’s manager for over a decade – married in Elswick, Tyne and Wear in August 2015 after two years of dating
‘This has come at a difficult time for them both’: It has also been inevitable to ignore the fact that his happy news comes hot on the heels of his best friend Ant’s woes
He told The Sun newspaper: ‘Ant looked in a right state and was acting argumentatively toward a policewoman. I couldn’t believe it when I saw who it was.
‘The woman was trying to arrest him and get him in the police car but he clearly wasn’t having it. He was not making it easy for her and he seemed to be trying to wriggle out of her clutches. He was not in a good way.
‘Eventually she got him in the police car. There were about six or seven police cars in total.’
Candid: In an interview last year, Ant and Dec both said that the focus in their lives has always been on their families and hopefully having children in the near future
‘It’s tougher than you think’: Ant has previously spoken about his struggles with having children
Marital breakdown: Ant split from his wife of 11 years, Lisa Armstrong, earlier this year
It is thought Ant veered into the wrong lane after coming round a sharp bend, hitting a green Mini before crashing into a BMW X5. A three-year-old girl was taken to hospital to be checked over as a precautionary measure.
In 2013, Ant also discussed he and his estranged make-up artist wife were finding it difficult to conceive.
At the time he confessed to Radio Times: ‘Lisa and I would love to have kids. We’re trying. It’s tougher than you think when you get a bit older.’
Explaining the issue in terms of his friendship with Dec, Ant revealed: ‘There’s a rumour that we do everything together and I’m holding off having kids till Dec finds himself Mrs Right. I love that idea, but I’m afraid it’s not true.’
Troubles: This comes after Ant was arrested for a drink drive incident over the weekend and has since made the quick decision to return to rehab earlier this week