They are one of the cutest couples in showbiz and welcomed their second child – a baby boy - last week.
But although Declan Donnelly and Ali Astall are now married and share two children, their romance was over a decade in the making.
Ali, 43, worked as Dec’s manager for more than 10 years before love finally blossomed.
During that time she watched the 46-year-old TV presenter play the field and have relationships with actress Clare Buckfield and Sky Sports presenter Georgie Thompson.
Here we look back at how their relationship turned from friends to soul mates after a string of secret dates.
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Talent manager Ali joined James Grant Management way back in 2002 and soon became Dec’s manager.
The pair immediately hit it off when Ali accompanied him and sidekick Ant McPartlin to Australia for the first ever series of I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!
At the time Dec was in a relationship with childhood sweetheart Clare Buckfield, who shot to fame in the Nineties as Natasha in Grange Hill.
But when Dec and Claire split in 2003, he is rumoured to have taken things to the next level with Ali.
Although Ali lived just down the road from Dec’s Chiswick home and was even spotted on holiday with him, things didn’t work out the first time round.
They were able to remain friends and kept things strictly professional for the next few years.
During that time Dec was linked to TV presenter Sarah Cawood, actress Kate Braithwaite and Sky Sports presenter Diana Stewart.
He then got into a relationship with Sky Sports presenter Georgie Thompson in 2009, which lasted two years.
Ali stayed single, leaving friends scratching their heads as to why she didn’t have a boyfriend.
But it seems she was playing the long game and was actually in love with Dec all along.
After his split with Georgie, his full attention finally turned to Ali and the pair enjoyed “several months” of secret dates.
In August 2013 it was revealed they were a couple and they have been together ever since.
Speaking about their new romance at the time, a source said: “They’ve adored each other for years and people have often thought they were together – but it’s only recently they finally became an item.
“They kept it quiet for ages but are at last coming to terms with being a couple in public.”
The source added: “They have told their families the news as they all know each other anyway. To be honest, it hasn’t come as much of a surprise because they’d always been close.”
An insider shared that by that point Ali had been in love with Dec “for a very long time” and stayed single as she “held out for him”.
And it didn’t take long for Dec to feel the same, as The Mirror exclusively revealed the pair were engaged in November 2014.
Dec popped the question in Australia while he was filming I’m A Celeb just a few months after he and Ali moved in together.
Friends described the pair as being “completely besotted with each other”, adding they had been “best friends” for a long time.
Opening up about their relationship, Dec said: “I think we’ve always been attracted to each other but it has always been that thing of, we work together.
“But we’ve always hung out. When she was single and I was single we’d go out for dinner on Valentine’s night."
Dec and Ali got married on August 1, 2015 in a celeb studded ceremony in his native Newcastle which was conducted by his brother, Father Dermott Donnelly.
His pal Ant was of course best man. Other stars to make the guestlist included Fearne Cotton, Paddy McGuinness, Philip Schofield, Holly Willoughby, Andi Peters, Leigh Francis, Vernon Kay and Tess Daly.
After the ceremony, Dec tweeted: “Thank you for all the kind and lovely messages, they are appreciated. My wife and I had the most amazing, magical, wonderful day. D x.”
The couple made no secret of their desire to have children and started trying for a family shortly after they got married.
Then in March 2018, they announced the happy news Ali was pregnant with their first baby.
Their daughter Isla Elizabeth Anne Donnelly was born on September 1 that year, meaning she is coming up to her fourth birthday.
Just a few days ago on July 28, 2022 the couple’s second child was born – this time a boy.
Proud dad Dec revealed their son is called Jack Anthony Alphonsus, adding he is a “very welcome ray of light” and Isla is “beyond excited” to be a big sister.
The news will come as a huge surprise to most fans, as the couple had not announced that they were expecting a second child.
Their baby news comes just weeks after Dec’s brother, Father Dermott Donnelly, sadly died at the age of 55 from a suspected bleed on the brain.
Dec is said to have raced to his brother's side after he fell seriously ill and is "beyond devastated" at his death.
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