Ant McPartlin’s wife Lisa Armstrong ‘hoping for better times ahead’ as she ‘likes’ supportive tweets from fans after divorce news
ANT McPartlin's wife Lisa Armstrong is "hoping for better times ahead" after it was announced that the couple will divorce after 11 years of marriage.
It comes as Ant reportedly “blames himself” for the breakdown of their marriage after he spent a large portion of last year coming to terms with and seeking rehabilitation for addiction.
The Sun revealed Ant could offer Lisa a record-breaking £31 divorce payout, which would be the biggest divorce settlement involving a UK celebrity.
While Ant confirmed to The Sun On Sunday that he was divorcing Lisa for "health reasons", Lisa has yet to break her silence about the news.
However, on Twitter she "liked" a number of supportive tweets from fans.
One fan tweeted: "I wanted to send you enormous amounts of love and luck for the future. You have remained so dignified in the face of the media - You are a true inspiration."
Another said: "Well I think @lisaAmakeup has stayed classy to the end. She hasn't deserved any of this. I really feel for her. "All this over the papers. Just no need @antanddec keep stuff private. Chin up Lisa."
A third commented: "Going through difficult times we must always be reminded that better times are ahead. For a beautiful person like yourself it will be tough but keep your chin up and you will bloom again."
While a fourth wished the Strictly Come Dancing make-up artist well saying: "@lisaAmakeup My wife and I would like to wish you well and hope you have your family and friends around you take care you are a lovely lady".
Meanwhile, sources told The Sun that Ant "wants things to be amicable and doesn’t want a drawn out court battle with Lisa".
“He still views her as a best friend and wants them both to be able to walk away from the marriage positively.
“He is happy to give Lisa 50 per cent in the divorce if that is what is agreed by their lawyers.
A source close to Lisa said: “She is not motivated by money and doesn’t want a fight. But this was a real shock to her so she’s not going to rush things either.”
Lisa has hired legal heavyweights Harbottle and Lewis to represent her in the divorce, which follows a 23-year relationship and 11-year marriage.
Divorce experts believe Lisa is legally entitled to the record-breaking pay-out.
Cara Nuttall, of Manchester law firm JMW, said: “It seems likely they will split their money and go their separate ways, rather than Lisa having maintenance.
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“Given they are still quite young, most people prefer a clean break and a fresh start. It would be surprising if Lisa walked away with much less than half their fortune.
"Although Ant was already a household name when they married, given they got together so young, the vast majority of his money will have been earned during the relationship.
“The court is likely to treat what they built up in the eight years they lived together before tying the knot as joint, but plenty of couples argue about what was generated before they actually said ‘I do’.”
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