Declan Donnelly’s brother, host of Saturday Night Takeaway and Britain’s Got Talent, has died after being rushed to hospital with a “mysterious illness”.
Dermott Donnelly, a much-loved Roman Catholic priest based in the family’s home northeast, was being cared for at North Durham Hospital after collapsing in his Newcastle parish.
Donnelly, 55, is understood to have been “extremely ill” after the incident, and parishioners were urged to pray for their well-being during their next congregation.
The news of his death was confirmed in a statement issued on Friday afternoon by the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, who wrote: “It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death of Fr. Dermott Donnelly, who died peacefully. this afternoon in the hospital.This has been a big shock to all of us.
‘Please pray for the rest of your soul and keep your family, especially your mother, in your prayers at this difficult time.
“Funeral arrangements will continue when they are completed. May he rest in peace.
Tragic: Saturday Night Takeaway and Britain’s Got Talent, Declan Donnelly’s brother, dies after being rushed to hospital with a “mysterious illness”
Rest in peace: the news of his death was confirmed in a statement issued on Friday afternoon by the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle
Donnelly was a regular visitor to his brother’s traditional London shows, while the presenter traveled frequently to the Northeast to attend Mass and visit youth projects that had been a work of love for the priest since the 1990s.
After his hospitalization, a statement from the Catholic parishes of Stanley, Dipton and Byermoor said, “Pray for Father Dermott, who is very ill in the hospital.
“Tomorrow evening, between 6pm and 7pm, there will be a period of time before the Blessed Sacrament so that we can gather as a community in St. Joseph’s Church to pray for the well-being of Father Dermott.
“Please be respectful to Father Dermott and his family at this difficult time. We will keep you updated as we receive the most up-to-date information verified by the Diocese.”
A source told The Sun: “December came with other family members. There are about 12 in the hospital. It was very sudden and everyone is just praying for him to do so.
Support: Dermott was originally described as “seriously ill”, and his congregation was asked to pray for him after his hospitalization (pictured left), with Irish Ambassador Dan Mulhall at St. John’s Cathedral. Santa Maria de Newcastle)
Donnelly had started as a curator in Chester-le-Street until, two years later, the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle asked him to create a youth program aimed at introducing disadvantaged youth to the Catholic Church.
He transformed the Youth Pastoral team into a thriving concern and in 2010 launched the Global Youth Village Center into a former holiday camp in Durham County.
For a period of 30 years he continued to raise money for youth ministry, building the Emmaus Youth Village and developing youth leaders around the world.
Speaking in 2015, Donnelly admitted that his connection to the family name Dec helped him cross the generational gap with young parishioners.
He said, “Don’t announce I’m Dec’s brother, but the kids always seem to know.” It makes a bridge between them and me.
Goodwill: So recently in April he visited outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street, where he prayed for peace in war-torn Ukraine.
Pioneer: Donnelly had started as a curator at Chester-le-Street until, two years later, the bishop of Hexham and Newcastle asked him to create a youth program.
So recently, in April, he visited outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street, where he was joined by religious leaders such as His Excellency the Papal Nuncio and His Eminence the Cardinal and members of the hierarchy. of the Ukrainian church in the UK to pray for peace in war. Torn Ukraine.
He then said: “It was a real privilege to join the Christian leaders of many Downing Street churches and be together in prayer, the silence was so profound.
“It was a time when the power of vulnerability met with the vulnerability of power. The best weapon we had was prayer.”
Close: Speaking in 2015, Donnelly admitted that his connection to the family name Dec (pictured) helped him cross the generational gap with young parishioners.
Brothers: Dec had previously talked about his close relationship with his brother (pictured together in 1995)
Dec is one of seven children and grew up on the Cruddas Park estate in Newcastle with brothers Martin, Eamonn and Dermott and sisters Camelia, Patricia and Moira.
Despite his huge success, he once admitted that he had considered his own career in the church before he quickly realized it wasn’t for him.
He recalled: “Growing up was like the Waltons, but in Newcastle. We all lived in a townhouse in Cruddas Park, in the West End. The house had three bedrooms.
“You don’t have to be a math genius to know that three bedrooms and nine people equates to a bit of a squeeze.
“The four boys were in two sets of bunks in one room, the three girls were in another and my mom and dad had the third room.
“My parents, Anne and Alphonsus, came to Newcastle from Ireland in 1958.
“You often find the Donnelly clan at the Tyneside Irish Center on a Saturday night and that’s where I had my first acting experiences.”
He added: “Later, my brother Dermott trained to be a priest. When I was about 14 I briefly considered following in his footsteps.
“Then one day, I took the bus home from school and it was full of girls from the local girls’ school, the Sacred Heart. Right there I knew the priesthood was not for me.”
The millionaire presenter, a pillar of ITV, has been able to buy his mother a £ 600,000 home in the upscale Darras Hall area of Ponteland, near Newcastle, home to neighbors of the former football captain. ‘England Alan Shearer.
Success: For a period of 30 years, Donnelly raised money for youth ministry, building the Emmaus Youth Village and developing youth leaders around the world.
Although Dec considered a career in the church, his older brother flirted with television courtesy of an appearance in Junior Songs of Praise, during which he was interviewed by a puppet named Hacker T Dog about life. of the church.
In 2001 he had a more controversial brush with fame. Driven in December, he was in talks to lead a Channel 4 program called Confess.
The selling point of the show was that it would encourage viewers to confess their sins on the air, with a motto: “Share your sins, relieve your soul.”
Dermott was chosen as the expert priest in the spectacle who, though he did not go so far as to offer them absolution as in a genuine confessional, would at least advise them on the right path.
A pilot show was shot, but once it was announced, the outrage of the Catholic Church was strong enough to see it fall silent. Some of the kindest comments from church officials called it “intrusive” and “superficial”.
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Connection: Donnelly was a regular visitor to his brother’s shows, while Declan traveled frequently to the northeast to attend Mass (pictured together in 1995).