Ant McPartlin has revealed that he and wife Lisa are separating following 11 years of marriage. The one-half of Ant and Dec announced the news via his spokesman on Saturday, who said in a statement: "Ant is very sad to announce, that after 11 years, he is ending his marriage to Lisa McPartlin." It continued: "Ant asks for privacy at this difficult time, for both himself, Lisa and their immediate families. No further statement will be made."
The news follows months of speculation surrounding Ant and Lisa's marriage. At the beginning of the year, Lisa took to Twitter to share a Bitmoji image of herself throwing out a bag of rubbish labelled '2017'. Her fans were quick to offer their support, with one tweeting: "Lots of hugs from a complete stranger (me) but heartfelt", while another added: "Sending you hugs sweetheart – even in the darkest of situations you always need to find the positives. They are there when you are ready to see them."
CLICK FOR MORE: Ant McPartlin's wife Lisa Armstrong defends herself against internet trolls
Ant McPartlin and Lisa Armstrong are separating following 11 years of marriage
In December, Strictly make-up artist Lisa hit back at internet trolls on Twitter who commented about her marriage. The 41-year-old responded to a follower who had told her that she was "throwing her marriage away" and that she didn’t "understand" the painkiller addiction that Ant had been going through. Lisa replied: "Educate yourself first love and get your facts right. You don’t know!! Sorry for your pain x."
Following his stint in rehab, Ant praised his wife for her "fantastic" support during his recovery but hinted that it had put a "strain" on the marriage. He told the Sun: "I've put Lisa through hell with mood swings and depression and how it affects you. I'm very sorry about the effect it has on partners." He added: "This kind of stuff puts strains on any marriage. All I can say at the moment is that she's been amazing - fantastic throughout."