downbeat dec
Declan Donnelly spotted looking miserable as speculation mounts over whether he will break his pact with Ant McPartlin and go solo
DECLAN Donnelly looked miserable as he stepped out amid speculation he could break his pact with Ant McPartlin and go solo.
The Sun previously revealed how the 42-year-old was "devastated" by his best friend's arrest on suspicion of drink-driving on Sunday and subsequent return to rehab.
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The drama lead to their show, Saturday Night Takeaway, being cancelled this week and the final two episodes will now go ahead without Ant.
Ant, 42, has withdrawn from all upcoming TV commitments to get help, and Dec certainly looked under pressure as he left his London home today.
Wearing a gilet, shirt and black trousers and a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes, Dec looked downcast as he walked along with his wife Ali Astall.
The star will certainly be apprehensive about hosting the show without his best friend, having revealed in their 2010 autobiography they had made a pact never to appear on TV without one another.
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With Britain's Got Talent coming up almost immediately after Saturday Night Takeaway is due to finish, Dec may have even more difficult decisions to make.A source told : “Dec is stressed and it is a very difficult decision in terms of what he does next.
"They always said they would not work solo but now he has to think about not just their careers but hundreds of employees who work for them and ITV.
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"It feels like an impossible dilemma for him and he doesn’t know what is the right answer.”
Earlier today, Piers Morgan urged Dec to break his pact with Ant because "the show must go on".
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The Good Morning Britain presenter - who worked with Ant and Dec on Britain's Got Talent for a number of years and his good friends with both of them - said: "I think Dec is going through a real crisis himself about what to do career wise.
"They agreed not to [present without the other] but that's under normal circumstances.
"If one of the duo is going through such problems - he [Ant] probably won't be back on TV this year - does Dec now just have to come off TV as well?...
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"[Dec is] devastated for his mate - he is worried that the Ant and Dec brand is being irreparably damaged - it's the second time round.
"But I think he's got to look after himself too - he's a very successful guy in his own right."
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Piers insisted Dec couldn't go solo without Ant's blessing as it would look like he's "knifing his mate in the back".
So he urged Ant to make a public statement allowing his pal to continue working without him.
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