Lisa Armstrong's olive branch to ex husband Ant McPartlin
Six years on since her world came crashing down, Lisa Armstrong is finally ready to put the past behind her - and even extend what looks like an olive branch to her ex-husband, Ant McPartlin.
Lisa and Ant were together for more than two decades and married for 11 years. But when their relationship crumbled in early 2018, they decided to call it quits. Their divorce came not long after Lisa faithfully stood by Ant when his career nearly sank, following an alcohol and prescription addiction scandal and drink-driving conviction.
Since then, it’s been no secret that the 47-year-old, who is now head make-up and hair on Strictly Come Dancing, has faced some tough times – but as I’m A Celeb host Ant takes the next step in his personal and professional life Lisa seems to have done a U-turn and is reportedly looking for a fresh start.
“Lisa knows Ant is ready to move on with the next chapter of his life - she doesn’t want to be angry anymore,” a source said. “She’s done a lot of healing over the past few years and spent so much time being upset and angry about everything. It has been exhausting but she has done a lot of work on herself."
With joy on the horizon for Ant, it appears that Lisa could be ready for some peace talks, especially when it comes to shared responsibilities of their dog, Hurley. Despite the pair reportedly being embroiled in a brutal custody battle over him, the pooch could be the catalyst for moving forward as they still share him.
"It seems everyone is having a fresh start with the end of the show and Ant’s new chapter in his life, so Lisa wants to make sure she’s in a good place," the source said.
"They still have Hurley so they’re connected together for a while and this could bring peace between them. She also knows that they might have to be in communication more as Ant’s life is going to change that he may need help with Hurley. Lisa would love to have him more and wants to be on good terms."
In fact, during the final episode of Ant’s hit show - that he presents alongside best pal Declan Donnelly - Saturday Night Takeaway , Lisa showed a rare glimpse of public support. The former popstar liked a post that hailed Ant and Dec as 'simply the best' in celebration of their impressive TV journey.
Lisa placed a 'like' on the post which showed Ant and Dec and read: "After 20 years this amazing show is coming to an end it's been a real joy and pleasure to have been there from the beginning, and in my 30-year career in showbiz I've worked with some brilliant people but these two are simply the best! Great friendships and memories made."
Lisa was once a key part of Ant and Dec's close-knit circle, and she reportedly also had a strong bond with Dec, who was the best man at their wedding in 2006.
Now, according to the source, Lisa liking a mutual friend’s Twitter post is a signal that she wants people to know that she has finally moved on and is happy for Ant as he takes this new step in life.
“Lisa feels she played an important part in their success - she was there from the very start when Ant and Dec first had the idea,” the source continued. Seeing the show come to an end brought back lots of happy memories. It also made her realise that she and Ant were really happy and she now doesn’t want her marriage to him tarnished. Lisa loved him so much and now she just wants everyone to be happy, Ant included.
"Lisa mainly wants herself to be happy and this very public show of support is hopefully the first step in the right direction and they can put all differences aside as they both move on with their lives. Lisa doesn’t want to have to worry about bumping into them or old mutual friends."
Ant and Lisa's split shocked the showbiz world when it was announced in 2018, just eight months after Ant left rehab. A year after his split from Lisa, Ant's relationship with his personal assistant Anne-Marie came to light.
At the time Lisa took to Twitter to reveal that she found out about the new couple through the newspapers, just like everyone else, accusing the mother-of-two of breaking 'girl code'. Anne-Marie had previously worked for the married couple for six years and even organised their 10th wedding anniversary party in 2016. Ant and Anne-Marie then went on to tie the knot in a romantic ceremony in August 2021.
In 2020, two years after her split with Ant, Lisa entered into a relationship with her boyfriend James Green. Sadly, the pair broke up last year, just eight weeks after they enjoyed a romantic getaway together in the sun-soaked Caribbean.
But now as Lisa ready to firmly close that chapter, according to a source, she's finally at a place in her life to move on.
"She also had to deal with her own breakup with James after thinking she’d found happiness again and she doesn’t have the energy to fight anymore," they said.
"When the split with Ant happened she was blindsided and was so hurt when he got together with Anne-Marie, which turned into anger. She felt he could’ve handled things a lot differently and she didn’t always behave in the best way."
