Declan Donnelly said he was left in tears following the death of his “childhood hero” Kevin Keegan.
The TV presenter became visibly emotional while discussing Kevin Keegan’s death aged 75 on the latest episode of the Hanging Out With Ant And Dec podcast.
England football legend Kevin died on July 20 after battling stage four cancer. His family said he was surrounded by his wife and daughters in his final moments.
Declan Donnelly pays tribute to Kevin Keegan
For Dec, 50, the loss was deeply personal. The I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! host is a lifelong Newcastle United supporter, and said Kevin was the person who first made him fall for football.
“Kevin Keegan was the reason that I really got into football, he was the David Beckham of his day. He was the Lionel Messi and the Cristiano Ronaldo of the 70s and 80s,” Dec said.
He recalled Kevin signing for Newcastle United in 1982, around the time his eldest brother had started taking him to matches.
Dec said that moment began his “rollercoaster love affair” with Newcastle United and football, adding: “He was my childhood hero. When we got the news through last week, I was absolutely devastated.
“I’m not ashamed to say I shed a tear.”
‘He meant so much beyond football’
As he spoke, Dec said Kevin’s impact was about far more than results on the pitch.
“He just meant so much to the people of the North East,” he said. “What he gave to us in his energy and enthusiasm and the hope he gave us for our football team.
“He just meant so much beyond football to the whole region. He was just such a special man.”
Dec also remembered meeting Kevin as a boy after winning a competition. He said people often warn against meeting your heroes, but Kevin was “absolutely the exception”.
Dec then became choked up again as he looked visibly emotional.
The presenter added: “I shed a tear last week, and I shed another one this morning.”
Ant McPartlin shares Newcastle pride
Anthony McPartlin, who also grew up supporting Newcastle United, joined Dec in reflecting on Kevin’s huge place in the club’s history.
Ant said: “Words like legends and saviours get bandied around, but he did – he saved our club when he came back as manager.
“He’s a true legend of the game, and to Newcastle United supporters, and he will be missed.”
Kevin’s bond with Newcastle stretched across generations. As a player, his arrival at St James’ Park in 1982 was seen as a major statement for the club. As manager, he later led Newcastle back to the Premier League and built the attacking side known as “The Entertainers”.
The team narrowly missed out on the Premier League title in the 1995-96 season, but Kevin’s style and passion made that era unforgettable for supporters.
Read more: Dec accidentally injures Ant’s daughter’s boyfriend as he admits: ‘I feel so bad’
Away from Newcastle, Kevin won three league titles, a European Cup, an FA Cup and two UEFA Cups with Liverpool. During his spell at Hamburg, he also won the Ballon d’Or twice in successive years.
After his death, Newcastle United described him as “the beating heart of the city for generations of supporters”. The club said he brought “world-class talent, ambition and belief” as a player, and “hope and pride” as a manager.
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