Adorable Dec Donnelly in the clip unearthed from his first TV role in Byker Grove

Declan Donnelly looks a lot different now than when he first appeared on our TV screens over 30 years ago on the hit children’s show Byker Grove.

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Declan Donnelly is extremely cute in the unearthed clip

Declan Donnelly looks adorable in a clip from her days at Byker Grove.

The Saturday Night Takeaway star began her career as a child actor at the age of 12.

In a nostalgic look at Ant & Dec’s Channel 5’s 30 Greatest Moments, the now 46-year-old appeared as a fresh-faced youngster on the decade’s hit children’s show 90.

Fans who have followed Dec from the beginning will know that’s where he met best friend and long-term presenting partner Ant McPartlin.

The duo Geordie plays PJ (Ant) and Duncan (Dec) in the North East based drama, set in a Newcastle youth club.

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The show was a huge hit at the time because it tackled issues like sex, teenage pregnancy, and drug addiction.

And who can forget the cautionary tale that PJ’s accidental paintball blinded girlfriends Debbie Dobson and Amanda Bewick?

The horrifying scene at the end of series four shows the girls aiming and shooting PJ as punishment for flirting with both of them.

But it just happened at the exact moment that the bingo guy chose to ditch his goggles – and led to his best mate Duncan shouting the now-famous line: “He can’t Got it, buddy!”

The boys then began a scandalous musical career and became known as Byker Grove, PJ & Duncan.

Their biggest hit was 1994’s Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble, which topped the charts in 2013 after they performed it on Saturday Night Takeaway.

Before being dropped by their record label in 1997, the pair managed to score 14 Top 40 singles.

But it showed where they really came into their own and, after being rebranded as ‘Ant and Dec’, they went on to become one of the highest-paid TV stars the UK has ever seen. .

Back in 1998, the duo teamed up with Cat Deeley to showcase SM: TV, kickstart their television careers, and win them a bunch of awards.

They were then spotted introducing Pop Idols in 2001, switching to Saturday night prime time over the phone. This paved the way for them to host their very own weekend show, Saturday Night Takeaway.

Ant and Dec have presented I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here since it began in 2002. They are also regular hosts of Britain’s Got Talent after reportedly signing a contract. £40 million with ITV.

Talking about their special relationship, Dec said from the beginning he and Ant vowed to stick together.

“We made a pact. We said to each other ‘Look, no matter what, I will always be with you and you will never be in this life alone or against the world – you always have a life partner. always watching you.’

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