Lisa Armstrong opens up to friends about ‘hellish’ two years with Ant

Ant McPartlin

by Emma Dodds |
Published on

Ant McPartlin's estranged wife Lisa Armstrong has opened up to her close friends about her "hellish" past two years with the presenter

Lisa Armstrong has kept pretty much schtum since Ant McPartlin's arrest for drink driving last Sunday.

But after opening up to friends about her feelings of guilt since his arrest as she thinks she could have "saved him," she's now told friends that she has known things were bad with Ant for at least two years.

Speaking to MailOnline, a close friend of the makeup artist has revealed that Lisa has been leaning on her friends for support since Ant made the decision to end their 12-year marriage.

GALLERY: Ant and Dec's career timeline

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RADIO Ant and Dec career timeline SLIDER with cover pic

Ant and Dec's career timeline1 of 16
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Swipe through to see Ant and Dec's career timeline...

Ant & Dec in Byker Grove: 19892 of 16
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Ant & Dec in Byker Grove: 1989

In 1989, Dec landed a part on BBC children's drama Byker Grove, playing Duncan. A year later Ant was cast as PJ – and thus, PJ and Duncan was born.

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Ant & Dec's friendship blossomed: 1990

Ant previously revealed his friendship with Dec started in 1990, when he sent him a Christmas card and invited him to a football match.He said, "And that was that. It just happened immediately. We clicked. We'd spend all day making each other laugh and annoying everyone and quoting Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer lines to each other."When their parts were written out of Byker Grove, the boys vowed to stick together. Dec told Weekend magazine, "We made a pact. We said to each other, 'Look, whatever happens, I'll always be there for you and you're never in this life on your own or against the world – you've always got a mate looking out for you."Dec said, "It's our choice to socialise outside work. And we both get to go to work with our best mate every day. And that keeps our feet on the ground" as Ant added, "We love each other, definitely."

Ant and Dec's children's TV shows: 19944 of 16
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Ant and Dec's children's TV shows: 1994

Another career change for the boys came in 1994, when they began as co-presenters of children's show Gimme 5 on CITV. Just a year later they landed their own programme, The Ant & Dec Show, this time on CBBC.

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Ant and Dec's pop career: 1994

It wasn't just acting for the boys: PJ & Duncan were pop stars for a while, and became best known for their 1994 UK top 10 'Let's Get Ready to Rhumble'. After the pair performed it on Saturday Night Takeaway, the song went to Number 1 in March 2013.Their last studio album, The Cult of Ant and Dec, was released in 1997, managing to chart at number 15.

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Ant and Dec on SMTV: 1998

This kicked off their kids' TV careers, and landed them their first BAFTA Awards.After various other presenting gigs, Ant & Dec started hosting ITV's Saturday morning shows SMTV and CD , alongside Cat Deeley, in 1998.

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Ant and Dec on Pop Idol: 2001

But, in 2001, they made the move from Saturday morning to prime time – for a little show called Pop Idol... They presented Pop Idol for two years, before it replaced with The X Factor and Kate Thornton took over.

Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway: 20028 of 16
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Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway: 2002

This gave them the opportunity to create and present Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, which is on hiatus until 2020 after Ant McPartlin decided to take a step back from presenting.

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Ant and Dec on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!: 2002

In 2002, a year after Saturday Night Takeaway's debut, the boys joined I'm a Celebrity and have become huge parts of the show. In 2018, Ant decided not to host the show, and This Morning's Holly Willoughby stepped in to present with Dec.

Ant and Dec in Love Actually: 200310 of 16
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Ant and Dec in Love Actually: 2003

Ant and Dec had become such huge names in the UK in 2003, that director Richard Curtis invited them to have cameos in Love Actually, where they cautiously interview Bill Nighy's character, Billy Mack who hilariously calls Dec 'Ant or Dec'.

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CREDIT: u00a9 Instagram/ Ant and Dec

Ant and Dec on Britain's Got Talent: 2006

Establishing themselves as the busiest presenters in the country, Ant & Dec signed up for Britain's Got Talent in 2006 – and a year later signed a two-year golden handcuffs deal with ITV, which was thought to be worth £40 million and have been hosting the show ever since.

Ant marries Lisa Armstrong: 200612 of 16
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Ant marries Lisa Armstrong: 2006

Ant married his long-term girlfriend Lisa Armstrong in 2006, with Dec acting as best man. Sadly, the marriage ended in 2018 after Ant's addiction struggles.

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CREDIT: Shutterstock

Dec marries Ali Astall: 2015

In 2015, Dec married his longtime manager Ali Astall with Ant acting as best man - of course. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Isla in September 2018.

Ant and Dec awarded OBEs: 201714 of 16
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Ant and Dec awarded OBEs: 2017

Ant and Dec were awarded OBEs in the 2017 Queen's honours for services to broadcasting and entertainment at Buckingham Palace. They said, "We're humbled and honoured and ecstatic about the whole thing. We hope it can inspire young people from backgrounds like ours that things like this do happen to us sometimes. Put your head down and work hard and you can achieve what you want. You can end up in Buckingham Palace."

Ant's addiction struggles: 201715 of 16
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Ant's addiction struggles: 2017

In 2015, Ant was prescribed painkillers for botched surgery on his knee. Over the next two years, he became dependent on the drugs and on alcohol. In 2017, he entered rehab to deal with his addictions, and returned to work in the November. However, in March 2018, he was involved in a three-car road collision which involved a young family. He was arrested on suspicion of drink driving, and pleaded guilty in court in April. He was fined £86,000 and banned from driving for 20 months, and stepped down from his TV duties in August 2018, returning in January 2019.

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CREDIT: Instagram

Ant and Dec's National Television Awards record: 2019

Among their numerous gongs, Ant & Dec have received the National Television Award for Best Presenter for 18 years running. They were also awarded a Guinness World Record for the most wins of the award in January 2019.

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Ant and Lisa got married in 2006 ©REX/Shutterstock

A friend of Lisa's told the publication: "Lisa has told me she's been through hell for the last two years.

"She wasn't sure if her marriage would survive, but she stood by him to try to save him. It has been so hard for her.

"Ant has been in such a bad way that she often feared the situation was untenable."

They added that Lisa was "open with her friends that she didn't see how the marriage could survive."

This comes a day after Lisa dropped hints she was "in pain" on her Twitter account.

While she hasn't posted anything herself, she has liked various tweets from fans that are tweeting their support during the difficult time.

One Lisa had liked read: "I see the hurt & pain on your face today sorry your hounded & not given a moments peace your such a beautiful gracious lady.

"I wish I could take all this pain away & wrap it up & throw it away so that we could see a smile once more upon your face & peace in your heart."

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