Why Lisa Armstong is in no rush to divorce Ant
She can’t let go – and he’s starting to lose his patience
‘She feels she’s holding all the power for the first time’
s far as strategies go for sweet-talking your ex, arguing with them down the phone is probably ill-advised. So, Ant Mcpartlin might want to rethink his approach when it comes to communicating with estranged wife Lisa Armstrong. Last week, it was reported that the TV star struggled to keep his cool with Lisa over her delay in signing their divorce papers, reportedly telling her to “get on with it”. But according to insiders close to his ex, it’s not doing him any favours. In fact, he’s only making things worse – and this is giving Lisa even more reason to stall the proceedings.
“Until Lisa meets a new man, she’s not willing to roll over and do everything Ant says,” a source close to the Strictly make-up artist tells heat. “The more wound-up he gets, the slower she is to respond. He’s hurt her so much recently but, worse than that, given how quickly he appears to have moved on, it’s made her feel like she’s nothing.
“Now, for the first time in a long time, she feels like she’s holding all the power, and the ball is in her court – there’s no way she’s letting go of that anytime soon.”
It’s no secret that Lisa has had a tough time getting over Ant, who filed for divorce in January after 11 years of marriage, following his stint in rehab. Despite making efforts to move on with her life, including spending an extended period with friends and family in LA, Lisa hasn’t kept her heartache quiet – especially when it was revealed last month that Ant was dating their former PA, Annemarie Corbett. One can only imagine, then, how she felt last week when pictures surfaced of Ant and Anne-marie enjoying a double-date dinner in London with his TV sidekick Declan Donnelly and Dec’s wife Ali Astall – both close friends of Lisa.
Ant’s inopportune phone call didn’t do anything to talk his ex-wife round, not least because – according to our insider – Lisa’s not prepared to be left behind. We’re told, “Lisa won’t let go. Even though she’s loving life in LA and wants to move back out there next year, she still likes being connected to Ant.
“She isn’t in a hurry to speed things along just so he can start a new life.” ■ CHARLOTTE OLIVER