Declan Donnelly buys £2.2million property next to own £7million mansion to ‘solve problem’

Declan Donnelly has reportedly bought an “eyesore” property next door to his massive mansion in posh west London for £2.25million.

The I’m A Celebrity presenter has applied to renovate a boarded-up property next door to his £7million family home after his neighbours feared it would go to “rack and ruin”. The ITV star snapped up the home straight after it hit the market, according to insiders.

Per sources, documents show Dec and his wife Ali Astall have applied to build a single-storey side and rear extension on the property in the UK capital. “The street Dec lives in is very swanky and lined with large detached houses and his place is one of the most impressive mansions there,” said an insider close to the Donnelly family.

“But other neighbours have taken less care of their properties and the one bang next door to Dec had been allowed to become a bit of an eyesore,” they told The Sun. “Most people would have to live with seeing it go to rack and ruin but Dec has taken the initiative and snapped it up when it came on the market.

“The front has already been secured and boarded up ready for the rebuild and the planning application has gone in. And if it’s a patch on Dec’s place when it’s done, it’ll be a terrific investment.”

It comes after Ant and Dec were left cringing after a clip from their early career has resurfaced online. The clip of the 19-year-old Geordie duo sees the pair performing their Christmas single ‘Eternal Love’ live on ITV’s This Morning in 1994.

Almost thirty years later and the clip of the awkward performance has gone viral after being shared on an Instagram account online. With lyrics including lines like ‘I made you a necklace from a chain of shells’ and ‘The fire burning our bodies yearning, round and round the wheel of loves are turning’ have left fans of the TV presenters in stitches, including some of their celebrity pals.

Commenting on the awkward performance from This Morning, the official Ant and Dec Instagram account commented: “Hahahaha!! It’s a more difficult watch for us. X”. They weren’t the only ones as other celebrities were left in stitches over the performance too, as Stacey Dooley wrote: “I’ve watched approx 100 times.” Chloe Madeley added: “Made my year. Also Why isn’t mum on the credits with dad? Savage from@Granada.”

Fans were left cracking up too as one commented: ““I made you a necklace from a chain of shells”. If that’s not poetry I’m not sure what is”. A second added: “I can’t deal with Ant’s awful attempt at body popping”.

A third fan shared: “The screaming fans behind the window make it.” Another wrote: “Oh dear God. I’m torn.. Is the singing or the dancing worse… Or the lyrics… I thought “let’s get ready to rumble” was their only song. I wish I hadn’t found out the truth”. A fifth added: “I’d love to see their reaction to watching this now”.

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