Belfast Telegraph

Ant and wife granted quick divorce ‘over his adultery’

- BY SIAN HARRISON

ANT McPartlin and his estranged wife Lisa have been granted a divorce in under 30 seconds.

Judge Alun Jenkins, sitting at the Central London Family Court, granted the couple a decree nisi yesterday.

Lisa McPartlin had sought a divorce on the grounds of adultery.

Court documents indicated the judge held that “the respondent has committed adultery and that the petitioner finds it intolerabl­e to live with the respondent”.

If neither party raises a case against the making of a decree absolute within six weeks, their divorce will be finalised.

The 42-year-old, who is one half of TV duo Ant and Dec, confirmed in January that he and his wife were splitting following months of speculatio­n about their relationsh­ip.

In a statement issued at the time, a representa­tive said: “In response to the recent speculatio­n in the media, 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.”

Ant McPartlin and his ex-wife Lisa were married for 11 years

The couple met at a roadshow in Newcastle in the mid-1990s while Lisa was an aspiring pop star in Deuce.

He has often spoken of their struggle to have children.

The couple’s divorce was listed to be heard by a judge at the Central Family Court in London yesterday.

Last year, McPartlin entered rehab after struggling with a two-year addiction to super-strength painkiller­s following a knee operation in 2015.

In April he was banned from the road for 20 months and fined £86,000 for driving while more than twice the legal limit.

He later announced he is stepping back from TV commitment­s and will not appear on this year’s I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

McPartlin will be replaced by Holly Willoughby, who will host the show alongside Declan Donnelly from Australia later this year.

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