Lisa’s vow: “I won’t be seen as the bitter ex!”
As her ex-husband Ant McPartlin marries her former pal, Anne Marie-Corbett, Lisa Armstrong is finally at peace after hinting that she is planning her own happy ever after
Afresh-faced and beaming
Lisa Armstrong shared a series of loved-up selfies from a romantic break with her beau James Green last week – just days before her ex of 23 years, Ant McPartlin, was due to wed her former pal, AnneMarie Corbett.
Revealing they’d been on a staycation together, Lisa, 44, captioned the images with a string of love-heart emojis.
Her posts came as details of her ex’s nuptials surfaced ahead of the TV host’s “intimate” wedding to their former personal assistant, Anne-Marie, 43, where his presenting pal and Lisa’s former close friend of two decades, Declan Donnelly, 45, was expected to serve as best man.
NO ANIMOSITY
Ant, also 45, was said to have splashed out £100k on rooms for his showbiz pals at the luxury hotel in Hampshire where, as Closer went to press, the bash was reported to be hosted on the weekend. He is also said to have instructed them to put their spa bills on the tab of his £5k-a-night honeymoon suite.
And while Lisa could be forgiven for feeling hurt and upset watching the troubled star remarry following their bitter divorce, which left her heartbroken, insiders say she was at peace thanks to her new-found happiness with James.
A source says, “Lisa’s in a great place with James. She’s done a lot of work on herself and is dealing with the pain she endured from their split. She has let go of any animosity and refuses to be seen as the bitter ex.
“Hearing details about an ex’s wedding and seeing it play out so publicly is always going to sting, but she felt very calm. She has moved on and, as part of her own healing, she’s let go of the past and secretly gives Ant her blessing to be happy. Plus, she’s head over heels in love with James and being in such a happy and healthy relationship is a great distraction!”
After ending their 11-year marriage in January 2018, insiders told Closer that Lisa was forced to distance herself from many of her and Ant’s mutual friends, including Holly Willoughby, Phillip Schofield and Dec, with whom she’d been close for over two decades.
The source adds, “Seeing people she was once so close with – some of whom even attended her own wedding to Ant – celebrate with him will undoubtedly be a bitter pill to swallow, but Lisa is thankful to have an incredible support network and she doesn’t bear any grudges toward those who stood by Ant.”
The make-up artist was left devastated when she found out her estranged husband had moved on with Anne-Marie just six months after their split – accusing her ex-pal of “breaking girl code” and posting a broken-heart emoji on Twitter when their relationship was made public.
The former Glow Up judge was reportedly served with a legal warning after “liking” a series of Tweets from her supporters, who slammed the pair for their “betrayal”. She also gave away some of his possessions for free outside their former marital home, shortly after Ant called Anne-Marie his “rock” for supporting him through his drink-driving arrest in 2018.
But after a two-and-halfyear divorce battle – with Lisa reportedly refusing to sign an NDA agreement to gag her from spilling private details about their marriage – the pair were said to be on civil terms again after agreeing on joint custody of their beloved Labrador, Hurley.
TYING THE KNOT
And thanks to her soaring career – launching her own make-up line for beauty giant Avon and guest-starring in a string of TV shows – in addition to finding love again, the Strictly Come Dancing make-up artist has since seemed far happier.
After going public with their romance on Valentine’s Day – six months after they were first snapped canoodling at a park – insiders told Closer that their decision to keep a low profile was out of respect to James’ ex-wife, Kirsty, and their two children.
They also revealed that the electrician had moved into
Lisa’s plush new £3.8m riverside pad in West London during the third lockdown.
And pals say that, while Ant’s Big Day wouldn’t pass without some sadness, Lisa is focusing on her future happiness after hinting she could be next to walk down the aisle.
The source says, “James is very supportive and knows the wedding could resurrect some painful memories.
“However, Lisa has told pals that they’d spoken about their own future and she made several hints at a secret potential proposal. She said they’d discussed tying the knot and spoken about how they’d love a low-key do.
“Given the past and how things have played out, Lisa is very conscious about being painted as the scorned ex, so she’d never publicly announce an engagement in the week Ant got remarried as she knows how that might look.
“She is also very conscious about being as considerate as possible to his ex, as she’s been on that side and knows how painful it is.
“Friends are convinced that it won’t be long before they make an engagement announcement and, while they’re in no rush, Lisa is excited to have her fairytale ending – something she at one point never envisaged happening again.”
By Daisy McLure
SHE’S DONE A LOT OF WORK ON HERSELF AND IS DEALING WITH THE PAIN SHE ENDURED