I'm A Celeb's Declan Donnelly's forgotten famous ex now after he left her heartbroken

6 days ago 4

TV presenter Declan Donnelly, 49, is a happily married father-of-two. We take a look back at his most serious previous relationship - and find out where his past love is now

A close up of Dec looking pensive

The star began dating a well known actress when he was a teenager

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here is back and the show wouldn't be complete without Declan Donnelly and his presenting partner Ant McPartlin.

Dec has been married to Ali Astall since 2015, a talent manager who had managed him for more than a decade before they got together.

"We always hung out," the star told the Daily Express of their working relationship turning into a romance in 2014. "When she was single and I was single we'd go out for dinner on Valentine's Day together. Last year we went out as a couple. It was a little strange because we've had a working relationship for so long."

Ali and Dec are parents to six-year-old daughter Isla and son Jack, two and live together in a mansion in Chiswick, West London. Before they got together, the Saturday Night Takeaway star was with a well known actress for more than a decade.

The star has a young son and daughter with his wife Ali (

Image:

PA)

Dec's first high-profile relationship was with actress Clare Buckfield, who shot to fame in children's show Grange Hill and sitcom Two Point Four Children. The pair got together as teenagers in 1993 and they were together for a decade, living in the star's plush home in south west London.

But in 2002 Dec hit the headlines when he was said to have cheated on his girlfriend with lap dancer Tina Benson, then 23, after meeting her in a club. Devastated Clare read about her partner of a decade's alleged affair in a newspaper.

"Nobody can be prepared for something like that," she later said. "It was horrible, painful and unbelievably difficult.

"It was as bad as anyone would think it could be. We were together a very long time. I did think it would end up in marriage."

Clare, Dec, Ant and Lisa pictured arriving at the National TV Awards in 2001 (

Image:

Corbis via Getty Images)

Clare, who appeared in Doctors and Holby City, as well as a lead part in ITV fire-fighting drama Steel River Blues, went onto compete on Dancing on Ice in 2007. Paired with pro partner Andrei Lipanov, she finished runner-up behind rugby ace Kyran Bracken.

Now 48, Clare became mum to a son called Johnny in 2013. Thought to live in Cambridgeshire, she largely keeps out of the limelight.

In 2014 she appeared in a theatre production of All Creatures Great And Small and told the Bucks Free Press about her fond memories of her Two Point Four Children castmates Gary Olsen, who played the dad in the show and Belinda Lang, who played the mum. "We just used to be so silly," she said. "Gary was a child and Belinda was constantly telling Gary off. It was really fun."

Two years ago Lisa Armstrong, the ex-wife of Dec's presenting partner Ant, shared a sweet throwback snap of her with Clare to celebrate their decades of friendship. "TBT 25 years of Friendship!!!" wrote Lisa as she posted the photo dating back to the '90s. "Love you doll @clarebuckfield #foreverfriends #oldskool."

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