I’m sorry, Lisa, but I thought Ant McPartlin was a funny, cheeky chappy. Now the mask has slipped, I see the truth. And it was this detail in his ‘dash’ to be beside dying dog Hurley that finally woke me up

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Everyone was deeply moved when it was announced that Ant McPartlin rushed away from the Britain’s Got Talent launch to be with his dog, Hurley, as he passed away at the age of 12. The vet had determined Hurley was too sick to get better, and he peacefully passed away in Ant’s arms.

Many dog lovers felt sympathy for Ant. It was sad to see the sweet, mixed-breed dog pass away.

When Ant rushed to the hospital, we didn’t realize his ex-wife, Lisa Armstrong, was already there. My colleague, Katie Hind, later revealed that Lisa, whom Ant hadn’t seen in person for eight years since their divorce, was at Hurley’s bedside.

She was also heartbroken, saying goodbye to the dog they’d gotten as a puppy when they first got married.

As friends say poignantly, Hurley was the baby Lisa never had. She is more than bereft.

Ultimately, the focus was on Ant’s struggles and what he’s gone through, which will likely make him even more popular with his many fans on Britain’s Got Talent and I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here. This could also significantly increase his already substantial wealth, estimated at around £62 million.

Call me cynical, but it seems that even in death, Hurley was a pawn in Ant’s PR machine.

Wasn’t it a bit suspicious that news about Ant’s health struggles came out right when he was promoting the new season of Britain’s Got Talent, especially since the show’s viewership is declining?

And why was there no mention of the fact that Lisa was there too for Hurley’s final moments?

As a longtime follower, I’ve always understood that Ant and Lisa really wanted a baby. They tried for a long time, and when it didn’t work out, they welcomed Hurley into their lives as a way to fill that void and give all their love to a furry companion instead.

Knowing what happened later makes those photos of Lisa with her puppy incredibly sad to look at now.

During their bitter divorce, after Ant left her for his friend and assistant, Anne-Marie Corbett (who he later married), it was revealed that Lisa’s biggest hope after twelve years of marriage was to have full custody of their dog, Hurley.

Although she received a substantial financial settlement and was allowed to keep the house they shared during their marriage, Ant insisted she couldn’t have their dog.

It’s hard to understand why he fought Lisa for full custody of their child. He clearly cares deeply for his dog, Hurley, even bringing him to rehab during his recovery. But considering how he treated Lisa and everything they went through, denying her sole custody feels unnecessarily harsh.

The boy we all considered playful and charming might not be as kind as we believed.

Ant met Lisa in 1994 when he was 18 and she was 17, playing in a band called Deuce. Around the same time, he was starting his career alongside his close friend Declan Donnelly, and together they formed the hugely popular duo, Ant and Dec, who are still successful today.

Lisa and her husband married in 2006, and she supported him through a difficult period that included depression, as well as struggles with alcohol and prescription drug addiction.

She supported him through a difficult period, including multiple rehab stays, only for him to unexpectedly announce in 2018 that he was ending their relationship.

And then he hooked up with their PA Anne-Marie, whom Lisa trusted and loved as a friend.

It must have been devastating for Lisa to watch Ant move on with Anne-Marie, build a family, and have the children they both once dreamed of – including Anne-Marie’s daughters and their son together.

Seeing pictures of Anne-Marie and Ant happily together – holding hands, walking their cute maltipoo dogs – likely stirred up difficult emotions for Lisa. What was she feeling at that moment?

Hurley was often with them, too. Ant had insisted on joint custody, a 50/50 timeshare.

What kind of person would do something like that? He already had everything – a new wife, stepdaughters, a son, and even the family dogs. Why couldn’t he compromise on Hurley, who Lisa considered a member of her family?

This really gets to the core of Ant McPartlin’s character – or lack thereof. It’s fairly common for children of divorced parents to split their time equally, spending one week with each parent, just as Hurley did.

But children are your own flesh and blood.

It’s easier to help a child understand having two homes and two sets of parents, even when life feels divided and confusing. But you can’t offer that same explanation to a dog. As Ant started fresh, wouldn’t it have been a simple act of kindness to let his former partner keep the dog she loved so much?

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2026-02-17 15:22