Family link shock for Ant and Dec
GEORDIE DUO UNCOVER COMMON DNA IN ITV SHOW
ANT and Dec have been inseparable since they were 13, but last night viewers found out their bond is more than just friendship.
The Geordie presenters have been digging deep into their family roots on Ant and Dec’s DNA Journey, which concluded last night on ITV with a huge twist, thanks to the discovery of a Viking’s skeleton in Dublin, Ireland.
As the show came to a close on Monday, Ant and Dec’s true connection was revealed. While filming in Ireland, Ant was told he carries the unique DNA marker, S660.
It was then revealed that Dec shares the same DNA, and both Ant and Dec can trace their bloodlines back to the skeleton of a Viking, who was believed to have died in Dublin in 790AD. The pair are both descendants of the Viking, through their father’s bloodlines, which means they are distant cousins.
“That’s brilliant,” gasped McPartlin as they heard the news.
“Oh my God,” added Donnelly, leading McPartlin to jokingly ask whether he was disappointed.
The revelation came after Dec teased there would be a huge twist in the show. Talking to the Mirror, Dec unveiled: “We knew we weren’t brothers. But there’s some quite interesting twists in part two.”
Ant said the family search had brought the friends even closer.
“He means the world to me,” he said of Dec, adding: “I love him.”
Ant said he was at his “happiest and most content” when working alongside his TV partner. “It would be like losing a limb if I lost him from my life,” he said.
Ant, 43, and Dec, 44, met on the set of Byker Grove when they were 13. They have worked together ever since, on the likes of SMTV: Live, Britain’s Got Talent and Saturday Night Takeaway.
They are currently in Australia, preparing to film I’m a Celebrity...Get Me out of Here. Ant has already joked about making the most of his newly discovered family ties to Dec.
Tweeting last night, Ant wrote: “Hello you lovely lot. Thanks again for your feedback. Glad you enjoyed watching it as much as we did making it... now, where’s my cousin... I need sun cream on my back. Declan !!!!! ”