Ant and Dec’s spookily identical GCSE results and nasty school bullying ordeal
You’ll struggle to find two friends as close as Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly – and amazingly they got exactly the same GCSE exam results during their school days
Video Loading
Click to play
Tap to play
The video will auto-play soon8Cancel
Ant and Dec revisit Byker Grove castle
We know Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly have a lot in common – but getting identical exam results is just spooky. The Geordie presenting duo first met as teeangers while working on the set of Byker Grove in 1989 while playing popular characters PJ and Duncan.
It’s hard to imagine nowadays, but their relationship got off to a shaky start. “We didn’t particularly like each other at first, I thought he was miserable,” said Dec in 2006. While Ant added: “We’ve rowed a few times – we’re quite competitive.”
Ant and Dec first became friends while filming Byker Grove together
Image:
( Mirrorpix)
Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here .
Ant and Dec very quickly formed a close bond and became best friends – and they were so in sync they managed to get exactly the same amount of GCSEs.
Both lads left school with five in total, but the really strange part is they also received identical grades – three Bs and two Cs.
Academically they are on the same level, but Dec certainly believes he is in fact the brains behind their incredible partnership.
“I think we have different academic strengths. I’d be better at numbers and logic — he hates stuff like sudokus, which I like, to pass the time on journeys,” he told the Radio Times.
However, the pair very nearly didn’t meet at all as school bullies nearly put paid to Ant ever auditioning for Byker Grove.
Ant, who was a pupil at Wingrove Primary School and then Rutherford in Newcastle, went to drama school and then appeared on children’s television series Why Don’t You?.
Ant and Dec had a shaky start
Image:
( Getty Images)
The Geordie duo are presenting superstars now
Image:
( Dave Benett/Getty Images)
“I loved drama at school and I was put forward by my drama teacher Lyn Spencer. If it wasn’t for her, pushing me and supporting me, I don’t think I would be here today. So thank you very much Lyn,” he told The Chronicle Live.
“I really enjoyed Why Don’t You, but I didn’t actually enjoy the aftermath of it, getting spotted in school, there was quite a lot of mickey taking and name calling and I found that kind of tough.”
Ant explained that he didn’t want to audition for Byker Grove and actually tried to hide it from his mum, but was exposed when his friend snitched.
“So when they came to audition for Byker Grove, I didn’t want to do it. I hid the letter from my mam and a mate of mine back then grassed me to my mam,” explained Ant.
“And she frog-marched me down to The Mitre and said ‘do the audition and if you don’t want it after that don’t do it, but put yourself in the position as you will kick yourself for the rest of your life if you don’t turn up.’
“She was right. I did it, I got the part and I liked it. I’ve never really looked back. My friend Craig grassed me when I was younger and I am very thankful for that.”
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at [email protected].
Read More Read More
Most Read
Don’t Miss
Get all the jungle gossip with our I’m A Celebrity newsletter
Invalid Email
Something went wrong, please try again later.
Thank you for subscribing
We have more newsletters
Privacy Notice
See our Privacy Notice