It’s been nearly three years since their painful divorce was finalised in 2020, but last week it was revealed that Lisa Armstrong and her ex-husband, Ant McPartlin, are going head-to-head again in yet another bitter court battle – this time over the custody of their beloved dog, Hurley.
The former couple, who had been together for 23 years, and married for 12 before their 2018 split, adopted the gorgeous chocolate Labrador in 2013.
Lisa refers to Hurley as “my baby boy” while Ant described their bond as “a loyalty, love and a companionship that you can’t describe”.
As part of her huge £31 million divorce settlement, Lisa, 46, who has been dating her partner James Green since 2020, had previously agreed with Ant, 47, that they would share custody of their beloved pet.
However, following Ant’s marriage to the couple’s former PA, Anne-Marie Corbett, in August 2021 – after which he officially became stepdad to her two daughters, along with adopting two more family dogs, malti-poos Milo and Bumble – insiders revealed how Lisa felt justified to seek sole custody of nine-year-old Hurley.
A source tells Closer, “It’s quite common for warring exes to end up in a fight over their kids, but in this case it’s over a much-loved dog – and neither side is ever going to back down.
“Fighting over money and property is one thing, but when it’s a child or a beloved pet – there is so much more emotion involved.
“Ant has said to their friends that Lisa knows how much he loves Hurley, but Hurley is like a child to Lisa and there’s no way she’ll give him up. She feels stronger than ever and isn’t going to let Ant get away with any more than he already has. It’s a vicious cycle.”
Hurley has always had a huge presence on Lisa’s social media, but over the past few weeks, the adorable canine has taken centre stage in posts from their dog walks close to Lisa’s £3.8 million home in West London, captioned with the hashtag ‘#MamasBabyBoy’.
Last week, Lisa reposted an adorable picture print which reads, “When I needed a hand, I found your paw. Thank you”, alongside a series of dog and prayer emojis.
Friends including Strictly’s Karen Hauer and Gemma Atkinson commented on the post, while a fan added, “Don’t give in. Keep going and take your baby boy back.”
Despite their love and loyalty to Hurley being the driving force behind this new public battle, friends of the former couple fear they could be dredging up painful memories that will remind them of the tough final year of their marriage.
At the time, Ant was fighting an addiction to painkillers and alcohol – which even saw him arrested and fined for drink-driving after a car crash in March 2018 – while Lisa had been left to pick up the pieces, before being left devastated and betrayed when he ended their marriage and quickly moved on with Anne-Marie just a few
months later.
The source adds, “Everyone is worried about them, but especially Lisa as she’s got herself into such a good place recently. Lisa can’t help but think that Ant could be annoyed that she’s met someone else, has moved on with her life, and is refusing to bow out of the spotlight.
“But the more this goes on and the more they fight, the more they suffer. They both love Hurley but even some of Ant’s mates think he should just roll over and let Lisa keep Hurley, otherwise it’s going to stay so nasty between them.”
Behind the scenes, the source also reveals Lisa fears that the constant animosity and fighting with her ex will put her blossoming relationship with dad-of-two James under pressure and spoil their current bubble of happiness.
The couple, who met in a bar in 2020, have been going from strength-to-strength for the last couple of years and an insider recently told Closer how he had “given Lisa the life she’s always wanted” after she had gushed about the “trust, loyalty and laughter” they share together, amid a series of romantic holidays.
And our source adds, “Lisa worries about what James thinks about it all. It’s not ideal to have this going on while their thoughts are turning to making wedding plans and it does ruin that excitement a bit. This should be a happy time for her and James, but the thought of fighting over Hurley is taking it out of her.
“Pals are worried it’s going to continue for the rest of Hurley’s life and feel they’re making each other suffer unnecessarily. The whole time this is going on neither of them are properly healing from the bitter divorce battle and all the hurt they caused one another.”
