Dec admits he stole from M&S in blunder which saw him 'nearly arrested'
Declan Donnelly has admitted he inadvertently shoplifted from Marks & Spencer's in a nearly catastrophic blunder at a motorway service station.
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Dec, known for his double act with Ant McPartlin, walked out of the Bridgwater services in Somerset without paying for lunch for him and his wife.
Donnelly, 50, told his podcast that he "nearly got arrested" for the blunder.
He said: "We stopped off halfway. We like stopping off at a services with an M&S. 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."
Long-time collaborator Ant replied: "'What do you mean?"
Dec elaborated: "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.'
"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."'
Mortified Dec then explained how he rectified his error.
He told Ant: "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 replied: "Of course. You're one of the most recognisable men in Britain, you can't get away with this behaviour."
I'm A Celeb host Dec went on: "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."