Both Ant McPartlin and ex Lisa Armstrong are besotted with Hurley, the chocolate Labrador dog the pair purchased during their 12-year marriage. Although both have now moved on, following their separation in 2018, he is one aspect of their life together that Ant can’t bear to give up.
In fact, according to MailOnline, he is alleged to have told divorce lawyers: “[Lisa] can have anything she wants – except the dog.” As a result, they share custody of the canine, who celebrated a milestone 11th birthday this week.
Lisa addressed the moment with a happy birthday message on social media, in which she described him as her “baby boy”. Ant and Lisa were never able to conceive during their marriage, something which caused heartbreak to them both, but they regarded the dog as their child, meaning an extra-close bond.
The pair had originally announced they were trying for a baby back in 2010. When there was no news three years later, rumours began to circulate that Ant was holding off on having kids until ITV co-star Dec Donnelly found “Mrs. Right”, so both men could both experience the milestone at the same time.
He denied this, telling the Radio Times: “I love that idea, but I’m afraid it’s not true. Lisa and I would love to have kids. We’re trying. It’s tougher than you think.” The same year, the pair bought their beloved dog.
By 2016, Ant shared his fears that the couple’s age would go “against them” when it came to conceiving their longed-for baby.
He’d also suffered traumatic moments including an addiction to painkillers after he became dependent on them to treat a knee injury and a stint in rehab.
The pair parted ways in 2018, while he went on to marry current wife Anne-Marie Corbett three years later – and they’ve since welcomed a son, Wilder Patrick McPartlin.
Earlier this year, a source appeared to confirm how emotionally involved Lisa is with the pup, telling The Sun it had helped her recover from her painful split with Ant.
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