Ant McPartlin to 'give ex-wife Lisa Armstrong huge £31m divorce settlement'

16 January 2020, 11:55 | Updated: 16 January 2020, 12:01

By Mared Parry

@maredparry

New reports claim that the Geordie TV presenter is set to give his ex-partner over half his £50m fortune - but she has implied that their rocky split is far from resolved.

Ant McPartlin could pay estranged wife Lisa Armstrong over half of his fortune as part of their divorce.

The Britain's Got Talent host, 44, has been trying to formally end his marriage with Lisa, 43, since January 2018.

Today The Sun claim that he will pay her a huge sum to finally draw a line under the ongoing saga.

A source told the paper: “Ant and Lisa agreed to settle and sign their divorce agreement during a productive and civil meeting on Tuesday.

“Ant made a very generous settlement that works out to be more than half of everything that he has.

READ MORE: Ant McPartlin opens up about his time in rehab, admitting he thought 'career was over'

“He is delighted because it means he can put what has been a very difficult chapter in his life behind him and move on.

“For Lisa, the start of a new decade gave her a fresh mindset. It’s been tough but it’s time to move on.

“They both decided they wanted it resolved.

“There was no acrimony and both of them walk away contented.”

However, Lisa has vehemently denied the claims she's walking away with half of Ant's fortune and shared custody of their dog, and furiously denied the reports.

Taking to her Twitter account, Lisa quotes articles from a variety of publications stating: "Nope a load of nonsense AGAIN", and "I deny it cos it's not true..."

The pair wed in 2006 and enjoyed 12 years of marriage, ending things only five months after the ITV veteran left rehab following his two-year addition to painkillers and booze.

According to sources, Ant will give Lisa a massive £31million settlement, which will go down as one of the biggest celebrity divorce settlements in UK history, and come as a bit of a shock.

With a personal fortune of around £50million gained from his endless presenting gigs and ITV contracts, this means McPartlin will be handing out well over half to Lisa, who works as a makeup artist on shows such as Strictly Come Dancing.

A source close to both sides stated: "They both decided they wanted it resolved."

They added that Ant is "delighted" with the result, despite giving Lisa over half his life's earnings, as well as their £5million former martial home in West London.

“Ant and Lisa agreed to settle and sign their divorce agreement during a productive and civil meeting on Tuesday.

“Ant made a very generous settlement that works out to be more than half of everything that he has.

“He is delighted because it means he can put what has been a very difficult chapter in his life behind him and move on", the source added.

They've agreed that their Labrador, Hurley will share permanent shared custody as either wouldn't be able to live without him.

After Lisa receives the sum, it's expected that she will have no further claim to any of her ex-husband's future earnings.

The Sun claimed that the decision was made after both parties attended negotiations in central London with their legal representatives earlier this week, which was a step put in place to eliminate the need to go to court and the secrets of their marriage become public knowledge.

The close source also revealed: "The meeting was pre-arranged.

“No one expected it to be sorted so easily because it has been hurtling towards court.

“It will take a few weeks to tie up all the loose ends and a decree absolute will be issued in a few weeks.

“But it is a done deal. Ant has done the right thing and given her more than people often agree to give in order to properly move on.

“Neither of them could keep living with something so toxic hanging over them.”

Ant McPartlin's representative declined to comment.