Ant McPartlin has broken his silence after revealing he’d welcomed his first child with his wife Anne-Marie, while address fans’ accusations he ‘snubbed’ his dog Hurley in his new tattoo.
The presenter, 48, took to X to thank fans for their ‘kind messages’ after announcing the birth of his son Wilder on Tuesday.
In his post, Ant also addressed fans’ concerns that he’d ‘snubbed’ Hurley in a new tattoo paying tribute to his family, after the dog’s name appeared to be absent from the design.
Ant wrote: ‘Hey all, I just wanted to say thank You so much for the kind messages of love and well wishes for our baby Wilder. He’s doing great.
‘Glad you loved the tattoo as well. For all you dog lovers who asked why my beloved Hurley wasn’t on the family tree..he was!! He was just covered by our newborn. All my love, gratitude and heartfelt thanks A.’
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Ant McPartlin has broken his silence after revealing he’d welcomed his first child with his wife Anne-Marie (pictured in 2021)
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The presenter took to X to thank fans for their ‘kind messages’ after announcing the birth of his son Wilder on Tuesday
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In his post, Ant also addressed fans’ concerns that he’d ‘snubbed’ his beloved dog Hurley in a new tattoo paying tribute to his family
Ant then shared a snap showing the full tattoo on his shoulder, with Hurley’s name visible on the tree design.
The tattoo could be seen on Ant’s shoulder in an Instagram post where Ant revealed he’d welcomed a son named Wilder Patrick with wife Anne-Marie.
It comes just hours after reports surfaced that Lisa has vowed to fight for custody of their pet Labrador as the fallout of their messy break-up continues to spill after the birth of his first son.
The Saturday Night Takeaway star split from Lisa in 2018 after 11 years of marriage and went on to marry his former personal assistant, Anne-Marie Corbett, in 2021.
This week Ant announced he and 46-year-old Anne-Marie had welcomed son Wilder Patrick McPartlin into the world – and the news is said to have shattered Lisa, who remains childless at 47 following her acrimonious divorce from the presenter.
Ant shared a Instagram snap sweetly cradling his baby boy, revealing he’d been born earlier that day on Tuesday, writing: ‘Born, 14/05/24 at 8.54am. Baby is beautiful, Mummy’s a legend, Sisters are over the moon. Dad’s a mess!’
Since the split, Lisa has had one constant source of support by her side – loyal Labrador Hurley. She shares joint custody of the beloved canine with Ant but reports say she wants sole possession of him – something he is said to have resisted.
But she has reportedly vowed to fight on for sole custody of the chocolate Labrador, who regularly features in her Instagram posts, where she refers to him as ‘Mama’s baby boy’.
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Ant then shared a snap showing the full tattoo on his shoulder, with Hurley’s name visible on the tree design
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It comes just hours after reports surfaced that Lisa has vowed to fight for custody of their pet Labrador as the fallout of their messy break-up continues to spill after the birth of his first son
Ant – known best as one half of presenting duo Ant and Dec alongside Declan Donnelly – and Lisa adopted Hurley in 2013 following struggles to have a child of their own.
Ant is said to have refused to surrender full custody of Hurley to his ex during their reported £31million divorce battle, reportedly telling lawyers: ‘She can have anything she wants – except the dog.’
The arrangement led to the TV presenter’s chauffeur ferrying the dog between the two of them so they did not have to see each other.
Anne-Marie was said to have expressed a wish to care for the Lab full-time in February – and friends close to the make-up artist say that desire is stronger than ever following the birth of Ant’s first-born.
‘She felt very betrayed by both Ant and Anne-Marie and felt that none of this has been handled sensitively, especially the announcement of the baby,’ sources have told The Sun.
‘The one thing that has got her through it and been by her side constantly is Hurley – she doesn’t know what she would do without him. He’s more than just a dog to her and has been a lifeline at times.’
They added: ‘Ant obviously loves Hurley as well but he now has a lot of other responsibilities and things going on in his life and Lisa can’t see why she can’t have full custody of him. She needs Hurley by her side.’
The former couple reportedly agreed to take it in turns to look after Hurley, with the arrangement seeing Ant’s chauffeur ferrying the dog between them so they did not have to see each other.
But the news of Wilder’s birth is said to have hit Lisa hard – particularly after she spent years supporting Ant during a tumultuous period that saw him battle a prescription drug addiction and a drinking problem.
His struggles with alcohol only became public in March 2018 – two months after he and Lisa divorced – when he was involved in a car crash and charged with drink-driving, for which he was fined £86,000.
He checked into rehab again and voluntarily disappeared from TV screens for months following talks with his presenting partner and ITV bosses.
After revealing he has become a dad Ant was soon flooded with messages from pals including Jamie Redknapp, Davina McCall and Alesha Dixon, who were delighted to see the star finally become a father.
He had previously given interviews while still with Lisa about his desire to have children but it never came to pass.
Ant told Radio Times in 2013: ‘There’s a rumour that I’m holding off having kids till (co-host Declan Donnelly) finds himself Mrs Right’.
‘I love that idea, but I’m afraid it’s not true. Lisa and I would love to have kids. We’re trying. It’s tougher than you think when you get a bit older.’
Dec is now happily married to wife Ali Astall with whom he shares daughter Isla, five, and one-year-old son Jack.
Ant and Dec hit the pause button on weekend primetime fixture Saturday Night Takeaway after the 20th series, which finished airing last month, in order to spend more time with their families.
The Geordie duo said the milestone achievement was the ‘perfect time to pause for a little while and catch our breath’.
Lisa, who split from new beau James Green last year after three years, is said to be in Portugal on holiday this week, after sharing a cryptic post on Instagram about going through ‘silent battles’.
It featured a motivational quote meme reading: ‘Be proud of how you’ve been handling these last few months.
‘The silent battles you’ve fought, the moments you had to humble yourself, the times you’ve wiped your own tears. Celebrate your strength.’
MailOnline has contacted Ant’s representatives for comment.
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The former couple reportedly agreed to take it in turns to look after Hurley (Ant is pictured with the dog in 2017)
Ant has been candid in the past about his desire to have children and he publicly spoke about how he had been trying for a baby with ex-wife Lisa.
When the news of Anne-Marie’s pregnancy was revealed, it was claimed that Ant was over the moon because he didn’t think fatherhood was on the cards for him.
A source told The Sun at time: ‘This is the news everyone wanted. Ant and Anne- Marie are beyond delighted. It’s no secret that Ant has always wanted children, but that it may never happen for him was something he had, sadly, come to terms with.
‘When they found out last year, they were absolutely delighted, but obviously kept the news quiet for as long as possible.
‘To be having a child two years short of his 50th birthday, with the love of his life, is the stuff of dreams for Ant.
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Hurley was adopted by the former couple in 2013 after they struggled to conceive a child together
‘He’s already a wonderful, doting father to Anne-Marie’s kids, and together they’re going to be brilliant parents to this latest addition to the family.’
In February, Ant broke his silence on becoming a father for the first time in a candid interview as he spoke about taking a break from hosting Saturday Night Takeaway.
Ant opened up about the real reasons for the show’s pause in an interview with Fault Magazine as he publicly addressed his wife’s pregnancy for the first timeHe said: ‘We [he and Declan Donnelly] have both got children that we need to spend time with for a little bit.
‘We need time to think and, and time to step back and look at the bigger picture and just see where we are now.’
