DECLAN Donnelly has paid tribute to his brother who has died aged just 55 after falling seriously ill.

The TV star, 46, raced to be by his sibling's side in hospital after Father Dermot Donnelly collapsed.

He was taken to North Durham Hospital where he was described as being "seriously ill".

Now Dec has told of his pain after his brother passed away earlier today.

He Tweeted: "I am heartbroken to tell you that my darling brother Fr Dermott sadly passed away this afternoon. We are all beyond devastated.

"Thank you for your messages of sympathy and support, they are appreciated."

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One source earlier revealed how devastated Dec raced home to his native north east to join the family at Fr Dermott's bedside.

A source said: "Dec arrived with other family members. There are around 12 of them there at the hospital.

"It was very sudden and everyone is just praying he pulls through."

Fr Dermott, the parish priest in Stanley, County Durham, was recently pictured outside 10 Downing Street.

He was invited by Boris Johnson to join religious leaders to pray for peace in Ukraine.

Fr Donnelly said: "It was a real privilege to join Christian leaders from across many churches at Downing Street and to stand together in prayer, the silence was so profound.

"It was a moment when the power of vulnerability encountered the vulnerability of power. The best weapon we had was prayer."

Dec, the youngest of seven brothers and sisters, has spoken of his close relationship with his brother on a number of occasions.

Fr Dermott conducted Dec’s wedding to Ali Astall in 2015 in front of a star-studded guest list, including the likes of Dermot O'Leary and Dec's TV sidekick Ant McPartlin. 

Dec previously revealed how he considered following in his brother's footsteps by becoming a priest. 

He said: "Growing up was like The Waltons but in Newcastle.

"We all lived in a council house in Cruddas Park in the West End. The house had three bedrooms.

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"You don't need to be a maths genius to work out that three bedrooms and nine people equals a bit of a squeeze. 

"The four boys were in two sets of bunk beds in one room, the three girls were in another and my mam and dad had the third room.

"My mam and dad, Anne and Alphonsus, came to Newcastle from Ireland in 1958.

"You'd often find the Donnelly clan at the Tyneside Irish Centre on a Saturday night and that was where I had my earliest performing experiences.

"Later on my brother Dermott trained to be a priest.

"When I was about 14 I did briefly consider following in his footsteps. Then, one day, I got the bus home from school and it was full of lasses from the local girls' school, Sacred Heart.

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

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Today, members of Fr Donnelly's congregation offered their prayers for him.

Elizabeth Murray wrote: "Our prayers and thoughts are with Father Dermot and his family."

Jim Bramwell said: "He’s a very lovely and well liked priest, Dec’s brother."

Kayleigh Bailey said: "Hope he’s okay… lovely man. I’ll keep him in my prayers."

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