They had one of the longest relationships in showbiz but in a short statement in 2018, Ant McPartlin ended his 11-year marriage to Lisa Armstrong.
And while most famous pairs issue a joint statement when it comes to divorce – who could forget Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s “conscious uncoupling”? – Ant flew solo when it came to seeking his. This was reportedly because Lisa had refused to issue a joint comment after seeking legal advice.
The following words came from his camp only: “Ant is very sad to announce that, after 11 years, he is ending his marriage to Lisa.” The TV star had been one half of the pop duo PJ & Duncan when he met Lisa, then part of the pop group Deuce, at a Smash Hits concert in the mid 1990s.
Ant went onto propose in Dubai and the couple wed in 2007 at St Nicholas’ Church in Taplow, Buckinghamshire. Ant’s best man was Declan Donnelly, 48.
The stars first met as young actors on popular teen drama Byker Grove and by the time Ant split from his wife, they had become huge TV names, teaming up for primetime shows including Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and I’m a Celebrity! Get Me Out Of Here.
Lisa, 47, and Ant, 48, lived in a £6m home in Chiswick, West London with their beloved Labrador Hurley. They struggled to conceive, with Ant telling the Radio Times in 2013: “Lisa and I would love to have kids. We’re trying. It’s tougher than you think when you get a bit older.”
The marriage is thought to have really begun to flounder after Ant became addicted to heavy-duty painkillers following a 2015 knee operation. He then entered rehab in 2018 when he smashed into two cars when driving twice over the legal limit, receiving a 20-month driving ban and £86,000 fine.
