Declan Donnelly, 46, has spoken of the “immeasurable loss” of his brother, Father Dermott at his funeral service yesterday. The ITV star spoke of his fondest memories of his brother at the cathedral, with the service being streamed on YouTube.
The funeral took place Friday at St Mary’s Cathedral in his hometown of Newcastle, where his brother still resided.
Dressed in a three-piece black suit, Dec took to the front to talk about his “talented” brother.
He began: “Unfortunately, today our world is a slightly worse place because Dermott is no longer with us.
“He still had so much more he wanted to do. So many more lives he needed to influence to inspire change.
READ MORE: Frank Sinatra heartbreak: Crooner ‘couldn’t escape fact’ time was up
“I can’t believe he’s gone. I can’t understand why he’s gone,” he said as he fought back tears.
Dec continued: “But we trust that God has taken him because his talents were needed elsewhere. We as a family and of course many, many, many others will miss him immeasurably. Rest in peace Dermott.”
He then used the speech to thank those for their support following his brother’s tragic passing.
Dec continued: “We’d also like to say a huge thank you for the amazing tributes, the messages of support we’ve received over the last three weeks have been simply overwhelmed with the kindness shown.
“Dermott and I, being the youngest boys, were consigned to the bottom bunks.
“And on the occasions where my five or six year old overactive imagination created monsters under the bed or vampires in closets, I would run out of my bed, jump into Dermott’s bunk and he would calm me down in the middle of the night with stories.”
Dec looked heartbroken at the service and was comforted by his work partner Ant McPartlin.
The news of his brother’s death comes just days after Dec announced the birth of his son, Ali Astall.
