TV star Declan Donnelly and his family were left shaken after a terrifying attempted burglary at their £7 million home in Chiswick while they were asleep.
The Britain’s Got Talent host shares the seven-bedroom West London property with his wife Ali Astall and their two young children. Originally bought in 2006 for £1.9 million, the house has since tripled in value—but with that prestige has come danger.
The attempted break-in occurred in April 2021, when thieves reportedly targeted the gated home during the early hours of the morning. According to The Sun, the family remained completely unaware of the incident until they woke up.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed: “We were called at approximately 00:40 to a report of a burglary at a residential property. Officers attended. The suspects had fled before they arrived. There was no sign of entry into the property. No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.”
A source revealed that the intruders were unable to breach the gates and fled just minutes before police arrived. The following day, a locksmith was seen reinforcing the gates outside the property.
Dec and Ali, who tied the knot in August 2015, were reportedly “shaken but relieved” that nothing was stolen and no one was harmed.
The shocking incident happened not long before Dec suffered another personal tragedy—the death of his beloved brother in 2022, which he described as making the world “a slightly worse place”.
Dec later purchased the house next door, reportedly spending £2 million to renovate it into a private apartment space. His long-time presenting partner Ant McPartlin used to live on the same street before moving out in 2019 after his divorce.
