Britain’s Got Talent star Declan Donnelly’s ex Georgie Thompson once called their breakup “painful,” as the TV presenter gears up for his return to screens.

Britain’s Got Talent host Declan Donnelly has had his fair share of heartbreak over the years, with his high-profile split from sports presenter Georgie Thompson leaving him devastated. The TV host, 49, who is now happily married to Ali Astall, once endured a very public break-up that Georgie described as “really tough” and “painful.”

The pair dated from 2009 to 2011, but their relationship came to an end after two years. At the time, a spokesperson for Dec confirmed their split, stating: “Dec and Georgie’s relationship has sadly come to an end. Nobody else was involved and they remain good friends.” But Georgie later admitted it wasn’t that simple.

The pair dated from 2009 to 2011 (Image: Getty)

Speaking at a pre-Wimbledon party in 2011, she revealed to The Mirror: “At the moment, the party line is that we’re really good friends and really support each other. But it’s been tough, it’s really tough. It’s a really hard thing to live out a painful break-up when you’re in the public eye. It hurts but we have to be grown-up.”

Georgie rose to fame as a presenter on Sky Sports News and was a familiar face in sports broadcasting. Since her separation from the geordie presenter, she has moved on and is now married to Olympic sailing champion Sir Ben Ainslie, with whom she shares two children.

Meanwhile, Dec also found happiness with Ali Astall, who had been his manager for years before their friendship turned romantic. The couple began dating in 2014, tied the knot in 2015, and have since welcomed two children together. Their daughter, Isla, was born in 2018, followed by their son Jack in 2022.

In an emotional tribute, Dec named his son Jack Anthony Alphonsus, honouring his best friend Ant McPartlin and his late father Alphonsus McPartlin. The dad-of-two is now focusing on his career, as he returns to TV screens alongside Ant for another episode of Britain’s Got Talent this Saturday (March 8).

The duo, who have hosted the ITV talent show since 2007, remain as passionate as ever, with Dec admitting he is still amazed by the new acts each year. Speaking to The One Show, he said: “Every year we turn up on the first day and we go, ‘Are we going to see anything? Is there anything left? Is there anything different?’ Every year we are surprised and we love it.”

However, Ant and Dec have confirmed they are taking more time away from their presenting careers this year, after ending their long-running show Saturday Night Takeaway after its 20th season. Speaking on the final episode in 2024, Dec reflected on the show’s journey.

He confessed: “When we started this back in 2002, we thought we’d be lucky if we got to do this for maybe a couple of years, so what’s happened has honestly been beyond our wildest dreams. We have truly adored every second of making the show.”

Britain’s Got Talent airs Saturdays at 7pm on ITV or catch up on ITVX.