Declan Donnelly reveals he was ‘nearly arrested’ after accidentally shoplifting from service station M&S

DECLAN Donnelly has revealed that he was almost arrested after accidentally shoplifting from an M&S service station. The TV host and one half of Ant and Dec confessed that he almost found himself on the wrong side of the law as a result of his mishap. Declan Donnelly has recalled his fears over almost being arrested Credit: Alamy He reveals he forgot to pay whilst service station shopping with wife Ali Credit: Alamy Recalling the moment, he admitted he was almost arrested when he walked away without paying from one of their stores with his wife, Ali Astall. He bluntly confessed: “I nearly got arrested.” Sign up for the TV newsletter Thank you! Recalling the story, he and Ali stopped off at a service station in Somerset to pick up “sandwiches, crisps and a bang bang chicken to share”. Telling the story, he went on: “We stopped off halfway. We like stopping off at a services with an M&S. He recalled the moment on his podcast with Ant Credit: Splash He went on to make a charity donation instead Credit: Getty “So we go in, we pick our sandwiches and take it to the self-service checkout. “I start bleeping it, put everything in the bag, bleep my Sparks card and then I just walk off.” Speaking on their podcast, Ant replied to him, saying: “‘What do you mean?” Dec went on: “I put it all in my bag and wandered off… As I was tucking into my sandwich, I turned to the current Mrs D and I said with a mouth full of egg and bacon sandwich: ‘I haven’t paid for this.’ Most read in TV “She went: ‘What do you mean? What do you mean?’ I went: ‘I haven’t paid for it. I bleeped me Sparks card and I just left.”‘ Recalling the steps he took next in an attempt to rectify the error of his ways, Dec said: “So we’re on the road, I had to ring the services. “I couldn’t get through first of all, then I get on the phone to the girls in the office and I say: ‘I’m really sorry, I have just shoplifted from Bridgewater services. My heart rate is slightly raised, I think I’m going to get arrested because they know it was me.'” Ant then interjected: “Of course. You’re one of the most recognisable men in Britain, you can’t get away with this behaviour.” Dec continued: “So they rang the services and said ‘Dec has just been in, he’s just shoplifted, what can we do to resolve the situation?’. “They said ‘thank you for your honesty but there is nothing we can do now but please make a donation to our charity, which I think was Mind.” He confessed he made a donation that was greater than the cost of his shopping, joking that he was not “out of pocket”. Referring the M&S, the pair then joked: “They were going to be a sponsor of this podcast. Not anymore.” Comment now