Declan Donnelly confirms he and his wife are expecting their first child

Declan Donnelly and his wife Ali Astall are expecting their first child together.

The couple – who married in 2015 – are said to be “delighted” with the news.

Taking to Instagram this evening, Dec confirmed the rumours: “Just wanted to say thank you for all the lovely messages. The news has sneaked out a little earlier than we had hoped but Ali and I are delighted to be expecting our first child. Thanks for all the love, we really appreciate it ❤️ D x”

However it comes after Dec’s co-star Ant McPartlin was charged last week with drink driving.

A source close to the couple told The Sun on Sunday newspaper today: “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.

“But their priority now is their baby and an experience that they see as the best of their lives.”

The source claims that the pair had been trying to start a family “for some time”.

“When Ali finally got a positive result it was the best news either of them could have hoped for,” the source added. “They are both beyond excited at the prospect of being parents.”

This weekend saw the latest episode of Saturday Night Takeaway cancelled after Ant stepped down from his TV commitments.

But Dec will return to front the remaining two episodes of the series from next weekend.

Dec said: “Whilst I never thought I’d be in this position, after much discussion and careful consideration we’ve decided that the remaining two shows of this series of Saturday Night Takeaway will go ahead.

“We made a promise to take hundreds of deserving winners to Florida to watch the series finale, and we will honour that.

“Everyone at ITV and the Takeaway team feels we owe it to the audience to complete the series. Dec x.”