Dec Donnelly says becoming a dad changed him & he’s devoted his life to daughter

Declan Donnelly says becoming a dad totally “transformed” him and everything he does now is for his daughter.

The telly star, 44, welcomed a little girl named Isla with his wife Ali Astall in August 2018, and he fell completely in love.

In new book Once Upon A Tyne, the Geordie star admits he had no idea how much he would change as a person until after his daughter arrived.

He wrote: “Becoming a dad has completely transformed me. At first, like all expectant parents, I didn’t truly understand how much it was going to change me.

“I just thought it was another little person coming to live in the house… It opened up a whole other side to me, a side I didn’t know existed.

“I felt a love that I didn’t realise it was possible to feel. Everything I do, every day, is for my daughter now.”

They announced their baby news two years ago by sharing a picture of the tot gripping Dec’s hand, adding in a statement: “Dad is head over heels!”

He’s mostly kept his family life out of the spotlight but last year, he admitted being a dad can be tough.

He told The Evening Standard : “No one tells you how hard being a parent is! We could have had a warning!

“It is literally the hardest thing I’ve ever done but I’m loving it.”

Speaking after the baby news, Dec’s longtime parter Ant gushed: “She’s a beautiful little thing.

“I’m thrilled for the pair of them. They’ve wanted to be parents for a long time. The whole world of showbiz was overjoyed for them. I know how much it means to him,” he told The Sun.”