Ant and Dec have paid tribute to their former Byker Grove co-star Dale Meeks as it was announced the actor has died.
It has been announced today (April 23) that Dale has died, aged 47. His passing was announced by a family member on Facebook earlier this afternoon.
The news has prompted tributes to Dale, who played Greg, a gang leader of a rival youth club, on the CBBC show and who later appeared as Simon Meredith in ITV's Emmerdale.
Ant and Dec, both 47, have been among those paying tribute, writing in a tweet on their joint account: "We are so incredibly sorry to hear the very sad news of Dale's passing.
"He was the loveliest of guys, even though he was a Denton 'Burner', the the arch nemesis of the Byker 'Grovers'! A sad loss at such a young age. RIP Dale. Sleep well bonny lad".
The presenters - who had played Peter 'PJ' Jenkins and Duncan Sperring on Byker Grove - weren't alone in paying tribute to the actor, who also appeared on Emmerdale.
One person wrote in a tribute on Twitter this weekend: "A wonderful human who was always there as support. Proud to have known and worked with you wonderful soul".
Whilst another person tweeted: "Such happy memories [of having worked with Dale in the past]. What a talent. And what an absolute gent of a man. Rest in peace brother".
"Absolutely devastated to hear the lovely [Dale] has left us. A shining star, a beautiful human being. My thoughts are with his family and friends," wrote another person recently.
Dale is understood to have appeared sporadically on Byker Grove over a few years in the early 1990s. He appeared on the show at the same time as the likes of Ant and Dec.
He joined Emmerdale in 2003 and remained on the show until 2006. His character was introduced as a love interest for Nicola Blackstock (played by Nicola Wheeler).
The actor is said to have appeared in other shows such as The Bill, Heartbeat and Casualty in his career. And he had roles in musical productions such a UK tour of Chicago.
The news of his passing comes just a week after Dale appeared in an episode of The Hunt for Raoul Moat. He played the character Rory Sutcliffe in the ITV series.
