Ant McPartlin, 47, and his ex-wife Lisa Armstrong, 46, are in a fresh custody battle over their chocolate Labrador Hurley, despite agreeing to share the dog following their bitter £31m divorce .
Their bitter divorce dominated headlines and resulted in a multimillion-dollar settlement three years ago.
But it looks like Ant McPartlin and Lisa Armstrong’s bitter separation isn’t over just yet, as they battle for custody of their chocolate Labrador retriever, Hurley.
The couple agreed to share the dog after their marriage collapsed five years ago. But The Mail on Sunday is able to reveal that the arrangement is now in dispute, and Mrs Armstrong tells her ex-husband that she wants Hurley to live with her full-time.
McPartlin, 47, now lives with his new wife, and former personal assistant, Anne-Marie Corbett, and has added two maltipoos (Maltese and poodle crosses), named Milo and Bumble, to his family.
The fact that she has two dogs has prompted Armstrong, 46, to request that Hurley live with her permanently. The Saturday Night Takeaway star is understood to be refusing to relinquish joint custody.
It looks like Ant McPartlin and Lisa Armstrong’s acrimonious separation isn’t over yet as they battle for custody of their chocolate Labrador retriever, Hurley.
The couple agreed to share the dog after their marriage collapsed five years ago. Pictured: Lisa Armstrong with Hurley
Currently, the dog spends half his time living in McPartlin’s £6m mansion in Wimbledon, south-west London, and the other half in Mrs Armstrong’s west London home, chauffeured by the presenter of television supposedly doing the delivery so the exes don’t have to watch us.
A source close to McPartlin said: ‘Lisa has asked to have Hurley, but Ant says no. She now has two more dogs, a new wife and two stepdaughters, but she still wants joint custody. It has led to some difficult conversations between Ant and Lisa. It’s all very sad. Ant has been able to move on, remarry, and have two more dogs. Lisa is left to pick up the pieces.
Hurley was adopted by the couple in 2013 while they were struggling to conceive a child. During their divorce battle, Ant is reported to have told lawyers: “She can have whatever she wants, except the dog.” And in an interview at the time, she said: ‘There’s a loyalty, a love and a camaraderie with Hurley that you can’t describe. We still share pretty evenly. Hurley’s well-being comes first and we both love him very much.”
Meanwhile, Lisa is said to refer to Hurley as her “baby”.
Ms. Armstrong and McPartlin met at a concert in the mid-1990s, when McPartlin was performing with her on-screen partner Declan Donnelly as PJ & Duncan.
The dog currently spends half his time living in McPartlin’s £6m mansion in Wimbledon, South West London, and the other half in Mrs Armstrong’s (pictured) home in West London.
But in 2018, McPartlin ended their marriage, shortly after he went to rehab for addiction problems. Mrs. Armstrong stood by him and supported him through his problems. A few months later, he crashed his car head-on into another vehicle in Richmond, south-west London, while exceeding the drinking limit.
It later emerged that McPartlin was in a relationship with Mrs Corbett, now 46, who had been employed by the married couple as their personal assistant.
In their acrimonious divorce, Ms Armstrong was reported to have been awarded £31m, although sources say that figure was “greatly inflated”. Makeup artist Ms. Armstrong, who works at Strictly Come Dancing, is now in a relationship with artist James Green.