By Sara Nathan


Romance over: After two years of romance, the high-profile couple Dec Donnelly and Georgie Thompson have split


With a shared love of sports- and both rather diminutive – it seemed that TV star Dec Donnelly and presenter Georgie Thompson were a great match.

But after two years of romance, the high-profile couple have split, the Daily Mail has learned.

Donnelly, 35, who as one of half of ITV’s biggest stars Ant and Dec, is on an exclusive contract said to be worth £15 million, started dating Miss Thompson, 33, in January 2009.


The couple were set up by their mutual friend, TV host Kirsty Gallacher, and were smitten after their first few dates.

It was unsurprising, then, that rumours of an impending engagement continued to swirl around the couple.

But last night, a spokesman for Donnelly, who is currently co-hosting Britain’s Got Talent with his best friend and co-star Ant McPartlin, told the Mail: ‘Dec and Georgie’s relationship has sadly come to an end. Nobody else was involved and they remain good friends.’

A friend said: ‘Dec and Georgie had a good relationship, and naturally friends were hoping it would end in marriage, but things just ran their course.

‘They’re both disappointed, but still remain very fond of each other.’

Happier times: The couple looked happy while taking a stroll in London in 2009


Miss Thompson, a Sky Sports presenter who also stars on Sky One panel show A League Of Their Own, impressed Donnelly - a lifelong Newcastle United supporter - with her encyclopedic knowledge of sports, even though she is an avid Fulham supporter.

Not only that, with Miss Thompson standing at a petite 5ft tall, Donnelly towered over his girlfriend by six inches.

Just last August, Miss Thompson revealed that Donnelly was her perfect match – and said that her parents loved him.

The pretty TV host, who made it no secret that she was hoping for marriage and children, said they worked well as a couple as they had a similar outlook on life.

She added: ‘When you’re busy and work a lot, it’s important to surround yourself with people who have a similar work ethic, so you don’t judge each other.

‘It makes such a difference in a relationship because you understand and the demands you place on each other are reasonable. I think that’s key – to have someone who can support you in that way.

Busy with work: Dec is currently co-hosting Britain's Got Talent with his best friend and co-star Ant McPartlin


‘Family is a big thing for both of us, too. We come from completely different backgrounds, but there are certain things in life that I think draw you together and attract you to another person.

‘We have a lot of common threads and a lot of our ideas about life and how you live it are the same, so I think those things pull us together.’

When asked if her parents approved of her boyfriend, she laughed: ‘Yeah, they love him to pieces. Even my dog Rollo does!’

Miss Thompson, who grew up in Hertfordshire with a younger sister, added: ‘Like every mum and dad, they just want me to be happy and as long as they see you’re happy and the person you’re with is making you happy, then there are no grumbles.’

She added that Donnelly was taller than anyone in her family, joking: ‘My dad is 5ft 5in, my mum is 5ft 3in and my sister is 5ft 1in then there’s me who’s 5ft. It’s like coming to Lilliput basically! You get to be Gulliver even if you’re only 5ft 6in!’

Romantic getaway: Dec and Georgie arriving back in London last summer after a trip for two to the South of France


Miss Thompson, who joined Sky Sports 10 years ago as a researcher and has gone on to cover many events for the network including the US Open Tennis and motor racing, revealed how she faced ribbing from the mostly male crew when she first started dating Donnelly.

She said: ‘My most embarrassing on-screen moment has to be when Dec and I started dating and the newsroom thought it would be hilarious to put his name in the rundown wherever possible.

‘They put in all these references like ‘all hands on Dec’ in the script. You take it all on the chin but it’s very embarrassing. I think they’ve run out of steam on that, though, which is a big relief.'

Donnelly was previously in a relationship with his childhood sweetheart, actress Clare Buckfield, that ended in 2004. Miss Thompson was his first serious romance since that split.

Donnelly’s best friend McPartlin married his wife Lisa in 2006, with Donnelly as his best man.


Amicable split: The pair are still very fond of each other but their relationship had run its course, a source said


source:dailymail