Share and Follow
Lisa Armstrong, the talented make-up artist behind Strictly Come Dancing, once believed she had found her soulmate in TV host Ant McPartlin. The couple’s love story began in the mid-1990s when Lisa, then a member of the band Deuce, met Ant during a roadshow in Newcastle. They exchanged vows in 2006 at St Nicolas Church in Taplow, followed by a grand celebration at the prestigious Cliveden House hotel.
However, after 11 years of marriage, their relationship came to an end. In 2018, Lisa and Ant’s divorce was finalized in the Central Family Court in London. Lisa filed for divorce citing adultery, and the judge swiftly granted a decree nisi, taking less than 30 seconds to finalize the proceedings.
According to court documents, the case cited “the respondent has committed adultery and that the petitioner finds it intolerable to live with the respondent,” shedding light on the reasons behind their separation.
During this tumultuous period, Ant was grappling with personal challenges, including a dependency on painkillers following a knee surgery in 2015. His struggles culminated in a 2018 incident where he entered rehab after a car accident while driving over the legal alcohol limit, which resulted in an £86,000 fine and a 20-month driving ban.
Post-divorce, Lisa has largely remained tight-lipped about her past with Ant. However, she did reveal a notable detail when Ant remarried Anne-Marie Corbett, his former personal assistant, sharing with fans that Anne-Marie was once a friend of hers.
Responding to a fan on Twitter, she revealed: “Yeah, my friend and OUR PA who I let into OUR home.”
Lisa was also keen to clear up rumours that she received £31million as part of a divorce settlement, clarifying: “Just for your records I have NEVER threatened to take anyone to court, and for your second record I did not receive £31million.”
She further insisted: “I’ve never sold a story, never been gagged, signed an NDA, took anyone to court or took £31million […] One day I will have my say!!”
The pair continued to row, however, over custody of their beloved dog Hurley. They currently share custody of the 12-year-old chocolate Labrador, but Lisa hit out when Ant took the pooch on holiday to Portugal earlier this year with his new family.
Posting snaps of her “boy” on Instagram, Lisa aimed a dig at her ex, writing: “And now he’s taken from his mama. Poor old boy…”
A source told The Sun at the time: “Lisa is worried about Hurley in that kind of heat because of his age. They both adore him and have shared custody of him ever since they split up. Lisa is concerned about the temperatures in Portugal.”
Directly after their split, Lisa was forced to put their former family home on the market for £2.6million, but reduced the price by £250,000 after failing to find a buyer. Eventually she took the London mansion off the market and rented it out instead.
But in 2023, an electrical fire caused a reported £1million in damage to the property – though thankfully nobody was hurt. She finally sold the property for £1.7million in 2024.
A source told Closer: “The house holds so many memories for Lisa, a lot of good, but also a lot of bad. She still feels haunted by the past and is desperate for a fresh start. But she has to think of her future and her finances. She can’t allow herself to be ripped off just because of how she is feeling emotionally.”
She’s also never held back when it comes to her social media presence – especially in taking brutal swipes at her exes. Lisa once shared a post from Maryland Zoo in Baltimore that read: “Think your ex is c***? For a minimum donation of $5, the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore will let you name a pile of elephant dung after an ex. Or anyone really!”
In 2019, she liked a tweet which read: “People who are meant to be together find their way back, they may take a few detours, but they’re never lost,” leading some fans to assume she was referring to Ant.
When Ant welcomed his first child with new wife Anne-Marie, Lisa shared a quote on Instagram that read: “Be proud of how you have been handling these past few months. The silent battles you’ve fought, the moments you’ve had to humble yourself, the times you’ve wiped your own tears. Celebrate your strength.”