Lisa’s quitting her dream job for Ant
They’re facing the toughest test of their 11-year marriage, and now Ant Mcpartlin’s devoted wife Lisa has offered to give up her job to help him through his troubles. The TV presenter went to rehab last month after confessing to problems with substance abuse, prescription drugs and alcohol, and is expected to be there for at least another month. But Ant may need help for even longer and could be taking a year away from the spotlight, so Lisa has told him she will quit her dream job as Strictly Come Dancing’s chief make-up artist in order to help him recover.
“Lisa loves doing Strictly and is very well-respected and popular with the whole team – it’s the highlight of her year,” says heat’s insider. “But her marriage comes first, and she’s said she may not be able to commit to the show if she feels she needs to dedicate that time to helping A nt. He’s still not in a great place, and Strictly is such a full-on show for everyone involved. She wants to make sure that he’s her priority.”
Strictly is back on our screens in September, just weeks after Ant is due to finish rehab, and if Lisa did take it on, it would mean she’d be working every weekend up until Christmas.
“Ant is very supportive of Lisa’s career and would never put pressure on her to do anything she didn’t want to do,” our source adds. “They both love their jobs, but the past few weeks have made them re-evaluate their lives and realise what needs to come first. If Ant wants to leave the country for a bit to get away from all the pressure, Lisa is happy to go with him and just take some time out. They have a home in Portugal, so could go there. She’s not ruling anything out when it comes to Strictly, but their happiness is her priority,”
Lisa, 40, and Ant, 41, have made no secret of their desire to start a family, and their issues conceiving were said to have added to Ant’s problems. We’ve been told they’re still hopeful of having a baby, but know that Ant has to be back to his best.
“They would love to have children, but know it’s not an ideal time right now,” reveals our source. “Getting Ant back to full health is what they want, and Lisa is willing to do anything to make that happen. They’ve been together for over 20 years, and she’s finding life hard without him. She can’t wait to have him home, so they can start spending quality time together.” n