Friends of Ant McPartlin’s first wife Lisa Armstrong revealed he found out he was expecting a child with his second wife in December when he saw photos of Anne-Marie’s growing baby bump in the Daily Mail.
And he only learned of the long-awaited son’s arrival when the doting father posted a photo of himself cradling baby Wilder McPartlin in his arms on Tuesday.
Even the coldest heart can see how that must have hurt Lisa, even though the couple divorced about eight years ago. Ant had previously spoken about how he and Lisa, who spent 23 years together, longed to have a child and tried desperately without achieving the happy outcome they dreamed of.
Ant will have known that as Lisa is childless at 47, his happy news could have caused her pain.
Ant McPartlin cradles his baby in a photo introducing him to his Instagram followers this week
Of course, the arrival of a child is a happy occasion, but surely any decent man in such circumstances would have quickly notified his ex-wife to tell her that he was expecting a child.
That would have been a kind thing for a woman he had shared more than two decades with, who stood by him and went through “years of hell” as his prescription drug abuse and alcoholism spiraled out of control.
Friends say Lisa finds it “hurtful and heartbreaking after everything he put her through” that Ant didn’t tell her he was about to become a father.
And you can understand why. She was cruel, selfish and, dare I say, cowardly. As well as being a far cry from the cheeky and cheerful Geordie next-door neighbor character he and his skilled PR team have worked so hard to create despite the long history of his problematic behaviour.
And wasn’t there something grossly self-indulgent about the hideous tattoo she sported on her arm while she cradled baby Wilder? A tree of life, I suppose, with Anne-Marie’s nickname at the top, her two daughters from another marriage on the leaves along with the names of her two dogs. There is no mention of Ant and Lisa’s old labrador Hurley.
Yes, even Hurley has been cut out of Ant’s perfect new life, the dog he fought tooth and nail to have joint custody of during the divorce, trying to deny Lisa even the small consolation of caring for the stray afterward. that he left her and took up with Ana María.
In my opinion, that smacks of pettiness and selfishness more than an individual hailed by his friends as “one of the most beloved and respected men in show business.” It’s about him, as well as the beautiful Ant McPartlin brand.
Ant and his second wife, Anne-Marie Corbett, on their wedding day in 2021
Lisa Armstrong and Ant spent 23 years together. Pictured together in 2010
He certainly didn’t worry about other road users when he got behind the wheel in 2018 with twice the legal alcohol limit and crashed into not one but two cars after walking his dogs in nearby Richmond Park.
She wasn’t thinking about the doctor whose BMW crashed head-on after “going around the corner like a rocket” and whose nine-year-old son screamed at her, “I’m dying, mommy, I’m dying.” . Or the family in the other car that crashed.
It is true that he apologized on the steps of the court, where he was fined a record £86,000 and banned from driving for 20 months after pleading guilty.
But this apology was followed by his sob “pity me” story, about how he was “in bad shape,” tormented by demons after becoming addicted to alcohol and painkillers (that old chestnut of celebrities), and suffering from crippling depression. . .
Two stints in rehab, and he was rehabilitated, fronting shows like Britain’s Got Talent and I’m A Celebrity, which earn him millions, and welcomed as the prodigal son.
He walked out of Lisa’s life before reuniting with his personal assistant Anne-Marie, a woman who had worked for both of them for six years. As one of her friends said, it was the “ultimate betrayal.”
Just before Ant announced the birth of his son this week, Lisa posted a cryptic message on Instagram.
“Be proud of how you’ve handled these last few months,” it said. ‘The silent battles you’ve fought, the moments you had to humble yourself, the times you wiped away tears. Celebrate your strength.’
That speaks to me of a cry for help, of a woman who suffers, of someone for whom we should feel sympathy.
The sympathy that the man with whom Lisa shared the best years of her life seems to be missing. Which surely proves that, deep down, McPartlin is just a cowardly ant.