Ant’s new woman: Why no one needs a ‘friend’ like Lisa’s
Has Ant McPartlin’s new ‘girlfriend’ broken the first rule of sisterhood?
What is acceptable or unacceptable in female friendship? It’s what the ‘girl code’ is all about – the unwritten rules that exist between a woman and her friends on the dos and don’ts that can make or break a friendship.
It looks like Ant McPartlin’s supposed new love interest may have broken the biggest unwritten rule of said ‘girl code’ – don’t touch your friend’s ex.
Last week, it was reported that Anne-Marie Corbett, Ant’s personal assistant who no doubt knew Lisa, is actually dating the BGT host.
Ant and Lisa’s relationship has been in the spotlight since Ant’s shock admission to rehab in the summer of 2017 for substance abuse. The presenter admitted at the time that his marriage was ‘strained’.
After his return from treatment, the pair’s efforts to save their relationship were unsuccessful, and in January Ant announced his plans to divorce make-up artist Lisa, who he’d been with since they met back in 1994.
And now, it appears he has found new love with mum-oftwo Anne-Marie, 42. The pair are believed to have worked together since 2012. They’re said to have ‘ become close’ after Ant was re-admitted to rehab in April 2018, following a car crash when the presenter was over the drink-drive limit.
Anne-Marie was pictured with Ant at the police station in March following his arrest for drink-driving, and also as he left rehab for the second time. But the news of his closeness to the personal assistant, who separated from her husband, Scott, last October, seems to have come as a total shock to Lisa, 41, who revealed she knew nothing of Ant’s new romance.
One evidently outraged fan tweeted to Lisa, ‘If it’s true, I would have hoped, out of respect to you, that he didn’t let you find out from the media.’
Lisa included a brokenheart emoji with the reply, ‘Nope. Just how you guys did.’
Reality TV star Nicola McLean, 36, a friend of Lisa’s, commented, ‘Sending my love, Lisa! Really feel for you, worst pain ever x’. In the same Twitter conversation, Lisa then reminded her wellwishers of perhaps the most
devastating detail of all, ‘To think she was my friend!!’ she tweeted. ‘My friend and our PA, who I let into our home.’
Clare Buckfield, 42, exgirlfriend of Ant’s best friend and BGT co-host, Declan Donnelly, also tweeted that she was ‘Team Lisa’. The former Grange Hill actress, who was in a relationship with Dec, 42, for 10 years, is said to have grown close to Lisa over the decade they were both dating TV’s top double act.
A supportive fan then commented, in a now-deleted tweet, ‘So much for the girl code. Keep that gorgeous dignified chin held high. Wishing you nothing but happiness in the future.’ Lisa replied, ‘Exactly!! x.’ A source close to AnneMarie has claimed that she was not, in fact, particularly close friends with Lisa and that the pair ‘clashed’, but there is no doubt that, for Lisa, the betrayal appears raw.
Of course, it’s not the first time that we’ve witnessed women in the cut-throat world of showbiz betray each other like this.
Lisa’s situation clearly opened a can of worms for Loose Women panellist Coleen Nolan, 53, who dropped her own relationship bombshell not long ago.
‘One of my sisters dated my ex. It was really upsetting. Your friend should be there as a shoulder to cry on when a relationship ends, not date your ex,’ she said of Ant’s new woman. ‘This is absolutely a violation of the girl code. It’s a betrayal, and I imagine Lisa is feeling devastated and terribly angry.’
And it’s not just British celebs that have had similar knives to the heart. When A-list Hollywood star Jennifer Garner confirmed back in 2016 that her actor husband, Ben Affleck, 45, had embarked on a relationship with their nanny, fans admired the devastated star’s honesty.
Stating it was ‘ bad judgement’ on her husband’s part, Jen, 46, revealed, ‘I can not let anger or hurt be my engine. I need to move with the big picture always on my mind, and put the kids first and foremost.’
Of course, everyone has the right to be happy and, if a relationship isn’t working, move on with their life. But at the same time, there’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed, and some fans clearly feel that is the case here.
If reports are true that Lisa wants to take Ant for every penny she can get, would you really blame her?