Declan Donnelly Quotes

I’ll worry about something and get stressed whereas Ant is usually a bit more chilled about things.

I’d like to do ‘Strictly‘ because you learn something.

We always said our career was built on our friendship and that our friendship was the secret of our success. The career just happened by accident.

We honestly felt a bit more at home in the TV studio than we did in the recording studio.

You know you’re getting older when the record executives start getting younger.

Nobody ever sets out to make a flop, but it’s going to happen. You have to pick yourself up, dust yourself down and say: ‘Right, we go again.’

We come to Birmingham every January for the ‘Britain‘s Got Talent‘ auditions and always have a great time.

I think there is more to this world than we can possibly fathom. There’s got to be.

We’ve talked about a sitcom and a comedy drama. It’s getting the right project and working with the right people.

When we were 17, I got my first car, a Mini Metro.

It’s naive to think we’re the only living beings in this universe.

We had one big album and we started working on the ‘Ant and Dec Show’ and we had a really good time.

We have got offered some shows in America, but really dopey shows – like reality shows.

We kind of owe everything to ‘Byker Grove.’ It’s where we learnt to do what we do.

I’m not sure I’m confident in the viewing public seeing every side of me and I’m not sure I’m confident enough that I’d allow myself to be that exposed.

We saw the band as an acting job – it was an extension of ‘Byker Grove.’ We were even still called PJ and Duncan.

We’re more pub and football guys rather than walking the red carpets.

We sat down and talked about who we liked comedy-wise, TV-wise, what made us laugh and what we enjoyed doing. So a lot of our tastes went into ‘The Ant and Dec Show.’

Brummies make great audiences.

We were pushing the boundaries a bit of Saturday morning telly and trying new things.

We’re incredibly lucky and I get to work with my best mate – I don’t know why I’d ever want to stop doing that really.

We know what it’s like to audition as kids and how nerve-racking it is.

We were lucky that when we were making the transition from children‘s to prime time a lot of other presenters our age shied away from that arena.

I couldn’t do ‘I’m A Celeb’ because I know too much.

We want to bring the kids, the parents, the grandparents and grandkids together, we want them to have a shared viewing experience. We want the kids to talk about it in the playground, dad to talk about it down the pub, grandma to talk about it while she‘s out shopping.

I think from doing so many live shows it gives you a real appreciation of being present. You don’t know what’s going to happen, you don’t know what is around the corner.

There is always someone you are going to miss and for me it’s my dad. I always hoped he would see me marry, but these things happen in life. I know he is proud of me.

Northern Ireland isn’t actually part of Great Britain, but we still want it to be part of ‘Sofa Watch.’

We treated it as another acting job. Some of these other bands had been put together, and it was their dream come true to be in a band, and that wasn’t really the case for us. It was the next part of what we were doing.

We don’t get any hate mail.

When we were first doing kids’ shows with the BBC they asked us where we wanted to be in a few years‘ time and we said we want to be where Noel Edmonds is.

Running in heels can be treacherous, and don’t get me started on fake eyelashes!

You’d have to get my money out of my cold dead hand before I gambled it away.

I love a sneeze.

I’ve definitely never said, ‘Well, how about that, eh, I’m a national treasure.’

I learnt violin at school and hated it. I wish I’d learnt guitar or piano.

Saturday mornings, you’ve got three hours of live telly and it’s really forgiving.

When we became TV presenters, I found a place for myself and Ant bought the house for sale two doors away.

Animals are great but babies are the most magical thing ever.

Ant was the only person who knew I was going to propose.

When you’re younger you feel more invincible – that nothing is ever going to get you down or beat you. When you get a bit older, you realise the fragility of things, how easy it is to get caught out by things – and Ant did.

I can be quite argumentative and stubborn if I get a bee in my bonnet. I can be quite a pain.

We did a version of ‘You Bet’ called ‘Wanna Bet’ in the U.S. a couple of years ago. It was a good little show but the network put it on over the summer on Mondays so nobody watched it.

I think working as part of a brotherhood shows you can achieve personal satisfaction in a team.

Celebrity will eat itself.

I think Ant and I were ambitious because of where we come from. Both of us are from working-class families on council estates in Newcastle.

My dad was born in Desertmartin at the foot of Slieve Gallion.

People would always try and set me up, which was awkward. You can’t set me up on a blind date because she will automatically know more about me.

There’s been times when it has been tough professionally.

When people are so nice about you, you get emotional and cry. But we never take it for granted.

We never want the audience to get bored.

I’m not sure how much Ant and I are insured against each other. I’ve heard it’s a couple of million. However much it is, it would never be compensation for losing your best mate. I’ve never wanted to work alone since we started together. All the ideas we have are for the pair of us.

I go for a sensible dinner with the wife when I can.

I grew up being called Eamonn-Martin-Dermott-Declan because I was the youngest of the boys and Mum would go through all their names first before she got to mine.

We were kids when we started.

I had my crisis at 30. I was actually really comfortable with 40. Life was in a better place.

We did ‘Friends Like These’ on BBC and ‘Slap Bang‘ on ITV which didn’t work as well.

Ant and Dec seemed a natural name for us – it was just how people referred to us, cos we were always together. I’ve never resented the fact that his name comes first.

Put your head down and work hard and you can achieve what you want. You can end up in Buckingham Palace.

I might be a natural show-off but being your best mate’s best man is a different kettle of fish.

When we met Susan Boyle she was a very unassuming lady. We didn’t expect anything and we were probably a little dismissive of her.

We got sacked for the first time when we were just 18 and you realise that this whole industry is transient and changeable.

The thing that I miss more than anything is doing Saturday morning telly. It was the best, best, best three years.

Anyone who’s ever had a loved one go through addiction will know just how devastating it can be and how tough it is for those around them, as much as it is for the addict.

I don’t know if I get any mail. I think I just get bills.

When times were good, we made more money. When times are bad, we make less money.

I was a bit nervous before I got married and Ant said to me: ‘Honestly, it just gets better.’ It’s amazing and the best thing I ever did.

I love a bathroom and fluffy bathrobe. Bear Grylls and camping… that’s not me!

I think you learn every day. You can’t buy experiences; all these experiences shape you.

We should do ‘Takeaway’ from Chicago or Philadelphia. We’d have great fun with it.