Ant McPartlin and his estranged wife Lisa Armstrong have ended their 11-year marriage in a "quickie" court hearing, which lasted 30 seconds at the Central Family Court on Tuesday morning. The pair confirmed their split in January after months of speculation; they had been together for 23 years and married in 2006. The TV presenter has since found love with his new girlfriend Anne-Marie Corbett, who was the former couple's PA. According to MailOnline, the grounds of divorce are based on "unreasonable conduct" by Ant, who is said to have committed adultery while he was still married.
© Photo: Getty ImagesAnt McPartlin and Lisa Armstrong have ended their 11-year marriage
Ant was still legally married to Strictly Come Dancing make-up artist Lisa when he embarked on his new relationship. Friends and fans rushed to Twitter to send comforting messages to Lisa, with one sharing a picture of the MUA's dog. "@lisaAmakeup amazing woman, this little fella has your back. Stay strong. Good things come to kind people," the tweet read.
MORE: A look back at Ant and Lisa's love story
Ant, 42, best known as one half of TV duo Ant and Dec, confirmed the couple's split in January. At the time, his representative said: "Ant is very sad to announce that, after 11 years, he is ending his marriage to Lisa McPartlin. Ant asks for privacy at this difficult time, for both himself, Lisa and their immediate families. No further statement will be made." It was also estimated that the former couple's divorce settlement could cost around £31million – half of Ant's £62million fortune – making it one of the largest sums paid out by a UK celebrity.
Meanwhile, Lisa has worked as chief makeup and hair designer on Strictly for 11 years. In 2014, she received the prestigious CRAFT BAFTA for her team and she has also won the RTS Award, recognising her high achievement in the television community. After her split from the TV star, Ant was arrested for drink-driving in March. The following month, he pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay £85,000 along with being sentenced to a 20-month driving ban.
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