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Declan Donnelly has allegedly revealed he nearly quit showbiz at the young age of 11 to become a priest like his brother.

The 44 year old, who recently enjoyed a game of golf with his pal Ant McPartlin, reportedly wanted to turn his back on the industry after losing a lead role in the children's show Geordie Racer back in 1987.

Explaining the situation in pages from his and Ant's first autobiography, Ooh! What a Lovely Pair, which was obtained by MirrorOnline, Dec made it down to the final two before producers gave him the devastating news that he didn't get the part.

Reflecting on the experience, Dec wrote: "After that crushing rejection, I made a momentous decision: that was it – I was going to retire from acting. I was eleven."

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The Britain's Got Talent and I'm A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! host, who recently surprised a five year old boy who raised £1million for the NHS, then recalled how he considered potentially becoming a priest like his brother Dermott.

He wrote: "Later on, when I was about fourteen, I did briefly consider following in his footsteps, and the footsteps of my Godfather, Father O'Connell, and becoming a priest."

That thought was short-lived though as he continued: "Then I got the bus home from school one day and it was full of lasses from the local girls' school, Sacred Heart.

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"I knew right there and then that the priesthood wasn't for me."

Ant and Dec recently took a four-week break from social media in order to spend summer with their loved ones.

Announcing the news on Instagram, Ant and Dec shared a photo of them together reading magazines while dressed in their best summer attire.

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“See you in four weeks,” it read.

“We’re both taking a break for a few weeks to spend time with family and friends. Wishing everyone a great month and we’ll see you at the end of August!”

Now, a month later, it seems the pair are ready to get back in action as they recently took to their social media platform to share a photo of themselves wearing matching Britain's Got Talent-themed face masks.

Ant and Dec

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It was captioned: "Back to work on #bgt!"

Fans were quick to comment on the snap as one person wrote: "I love the masks!!! Now hopefully I get a ticket next weekend for the virtual audience and it works," with a fingers crossed emoji and two smiling emojis.

Another said: "Brilliant love the masks," followed by a heart eyes emoji, while a third added: "Yaaaay!!!! Check you guys out!!"

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