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Ant McPartlin pays tribute to Dec Donnelly’s late brother Fr Dermott: ‘The kindest, wisest man’-Rachael O'Connor-Entertainment – Metro
The star offered his condolences to Fr Dermott’s family.
Ant McPartlin has offered his condolences to Declan Donnelly following the death of the ‘kindest’ man, his brother Fr Dermott Donnelly (Picture: REX / PA )
Ant McPartlin has paid tribute to Fr Dermott Donnelly following his death this week.
The Catholic priest, who is the brother of TV legend Declan Donnelly, died suddenly on Thursday after he suffered a serious illness.
He was 55 years old.
Donnelly, along with Fr Dermott’s other family members, were with him when he dies ‘peacefully’ in hospital after he collapsed at home.
McPartlin has now offered his condolences to the Donnelly family and described Fr Dermott as ‘the kindest, wisest man I knew.’
Taking to Twitter, he wrote: ‘Rest in peace my friend. You will never be forgotten.
Ant described Fr Dermott as ‘the kindest, wisest man’ he had ever met (Piture: ncjMedia Ltd)
‘My thoughts, prayers and love are with your wonderful family.’
He finished by writing; ‘The world has lost a special man.’
Fr Dermott’s death was announced on Thursday by the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, who said in a statement that the priest had ‘died peacefully this afternoon in hospital.’
The Bishop said the news has ‘come as a great shock to all of us’, adding: ‘Please pray for the repose of his soul and keep his family, especially his mother, in your prayers at this difficult time.’
His devastated brother confirmed the news on Twitter on Friday, writing: ‘I am heartbroken to tell you that my darling brother Fr Dermott, @TweeterPriest, sadly passed away this afternoon.
‘We are all beyond devastated. Thank you for your messages of sympathy and support, they are appreciated.’
Funeral arrangements for the popular priest are now underway (Picture: PA)
A special mass had been set to be held on Friday at his local church in order to pray for the ‘extremely unwell’ priest, and the family are now beginning the incredibly difficult process of planning funeral arrangements.
Donnelly, 46, is the youngest of seven siblings and was extremely close to his Catholic priest brother.
Fr Dermott had conducted the Saturday Night Takeaway presenter’s wedding to Ali Astall in 2015, with the couple going on to have a daughter together.
Fr Dermott had officiated the wedding between his brother Dec and his wife Ali (Picture: PA)
An insider told The Sun this week that Donnelly had hurried back to his hometown in the north east to be with his family during the worrying times.
They told the outlet that there were around 12 family members at the hospital with Dermott, saying his admittance was ‘very sudden’ and they were ‘praying for him to pull through.’
Fr Dermott served as the parish priest in Stanley, Count Durnham and was recently seen outside 10 Downing Street after being invited to join other religious leaders in prayer as they called for peace in Ukraine.
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He said at the time it was ‘a real privilege to join Christian leaders from across many churches at Downing Street and to stand together in prayer, the silence was so profound.’
‘It was a moment when the power of vulnerability encountered the vulnerability of power. The best weapon we had was prayer,’ he shared.
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