We hope it’s a happy Christmas for Ant & Lisa
The truth about the childhood sweethearts and the friend who’s helping Ant through
In recovery after a stint in rehab for a two-year painkiller addiction, which at one point came close to killing him, Ant McPartlin has spent time away from wife Lisa Armstrong in Australia as he co-hosted I’m A Celebrity...
Lisa, meanwhile, has been working hard in the UK as head of make-up on Strictly.
And it seems the time apart could be driving a wedge between the couple, who married in 2006.
Their relationship has certainly been under pressure in the past few months, particularly since Ant’s addiction problems came to light. The TV presenter, 42, even revealed back in September that he’d put Lisa ‘through hell’, and that she was ‘still struggling’. After leaving rehab, Ant moved to a house a few streets away from his west London home with Lisa, 41, before flying off to Australia.
And while Lisa may have retweeted a sweet video montage of the pair’s best moments recently, she has remained, for the most part, silent on any marital issues.
She was clearly feeling the pressure of intense public scrutiny at the end of November, however, when she slammed comments about why she wasn’t travelling to Oz with her husband ahead of I’m A Celeb….
Writing on Twitter, she raged, ‘I havent been to Oz for 10 years #ihaveajob #allaloadofmadeups**t #imnotestrangedthank-you #asyouwere.’
Meanwhile, during his time in Australia, it looks like Ant’s friendship with former Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt has gone from strength to strength.
It has been reported that Scarlett, the host of spin-off Extra Camp, has been a big support to Ant during his troubles while he, in turn, is said to have been a shoulder to cry on for Scarlett when she was experiencing problems with her now ex, Luke Crodden. The hilarious Geordie lass, 27, has even heaped praise on Ant for being a ‘father figure’ to her.
Ant and Lisa, on the other hand, have been living separate lives with miles between them. And although, according to one report, they want to reunite for Christmas, others seem to indicate there’s no guarantee they will be.
If the rumours are true that Ant may move back into his rented accommodation now I’m A Celeb… is over, it looks like the couple’s rocky patch is far from over.
With Ant still focusing on recovery, will there be any room left to work on his marriage, too? We hope Ant and Lisa, after 23 years together, bounce back from their year from hell…
‘There’s no guarantee that the couple will be reunited for Christmas’