JUST two years ago, Ant McPartlin and Lisa Armstrong were fighting to save their 11-year marriage following the TV host’s two-year addiction to prescription pain killers.
Now, the former childhood sweethearts have an entirely new battle on their hands – their bitter divorce involving a controversial gagging order and a £62m fortune.
But while Ant, 44 – who also had two stints in rehab – enjoys a cosy Christmas with new love Anne-Marie Corbett and her two children in their new home alongside their Maltipoo puppies, Lisa, 43, will be haunted by the loss of the two most important men in her life – her former husband and her father Derek who died in May.
Sources close to the star also reveal she's terrified that Ant might propose over the festive period, and is bracing herself for the news.
A pal tells Sun Online: “Lisa feels as if every time something good happens right now Ant manages to ruin it.
"She is preparing herself for an announcement in the New Year that Ant and Anne Marie are engaged.
"She knows it’ll be crushing but she’s anticipating it which she hopes won’t be as much of a blow if it does.
“Her sole focus is on getting through Christmas and looking after her mum, Linda. For Lisa her feelings come second – that’s just who she is.”
Heartbreaking loss
The Strictly Come Dancing make-up artist was reportedly so devastated by the end of her 23-year relationship with Ant in 2017 that she refused to put her name on the split announcement.
It’s been an uphill climb, with arguments over their chocolate Labrador Hurley, accusations of infidelity as well as passive aggressive moves on Twitter where Lisa has ‘liked’ multiple posts about the split.
And yet there was more heartache for Lisa, in May, when her beloved father Derek lost his ongoing battle with cancer, and this year she and mum Linda and brother Stephen will face their first Christmas without him.
To ease the heartache, she has booked a £40,000 Mexican getaway for the whole family.
“To say Lisa has had a difficult year is an understatement, time hasn’t healed anything, she still can’t believe where she’s ended up,” a source tells The Sun.
“The loss of her dad is still so fresh, and the whole family are feeling his absence – they aren’t sure how they’ll cope without him there at Christmas.
“Last Christmas was her first without Ant, she was still in utter disbelief and shock that her marriage had ended. She felt numb and at times can’t remember very much of that period.
“This year she’s a clearer head and more aware of everything. She is obviously still grieving and is concerned about her mum but will be focused on her immediate family and making it as fun as possible for her niece Bonnie.
“She is forcing herself to focus on all the positives she does have instead of what’s now missing.
She stocked up on her favourite drink, Laurent Perrier champagne – usually rose, and she’s going to toast to her dad and try to think about the year ahead and cherish being with her family.
“Lisa has this incredible way of putting her own feelings to one side and being strong for everyone else which is what she’s going to do over Christmas but deep down she’s still so hurt and upset over her marriage breakdown.
“To make matters worse at the back of her mind is that Ant will be playing happy families with Anne Marie and her children – the dream she and Ant were never able to fulfil.”
Ant it wonderful
Fresh home from Australia following his return to co-host I’m A Celebrity with best pal Dec Donnelly, Ant – who once described Lisa as “the love of my life”- is having the picture perfect family Christmas with his ex’s former PA and friend, Anne-Marie Corbett.
The relationship blossomed just five months after his split from Lisa and has gone from strength to strength.
Earlier this year they moved into a new £6m seven-bedroom gated London home together and got two new dogs.
A source tells The Sun, “Ant and Anne-Marie have been inseparable. She joined him in Australia while he filmed I’m A Celeb.
They enjoy the simple things together, doing the Christmas shopping, walking the dogs, having meals at home, decorating the tree – they’re very much united and it’s often dictated by what Ant wants to do.
“It’s very different to how things were with Lisa – she did her own thing and enjoyed being social and having parties.
"Ant and Anne- Marie will have a sober Christmas as she gave up booze in support of Ant’s addiction issues.
"Behind closed doors Ant has been very stressed about the upcoming court battle so Anne-Marie has gone all out to make Christmas calm and cheery.
“They’re keeping things low key at home with their dogs and Anne-Marie’s kids, they’ll go for a walk on Christmas Day and Ant would prefer to keep things as just them and his mum.”
Baby talk
Ant made no secret of his desire for children with Lisa, and in 2013 he told Radio Times: “Lisa and I would love to have kids. We’re trying. It’s tougher than you think when you get a bit older.”
Sources tell The Sun that it’s another stab for Lisa to see Ant now have the perfect family life with Anne-Marie that she’d so desperately wanted with him.
“For Lisa sometimes her imagination is more upsetting that the reality. She is thinking all sorts about what they’re both up to and how Ant and Anne Marie have what she wanted.
“There’ll be a house with excited children running around, jumping into Ant and Anne Marie’s bed on Christmas morning with the dogs, opening presents together.
“The torture of knowing someone else is having the life you dreamed of with children is adding to Lisa’s pain.
"Anne Marie offers Ant the ready-made family and picture perfect Christmas, even if that’s not exactly the reality, Lisa still fears that’s what it’ll be like for them.”
The ghost of Christmas past
Lisa was just 17 when she met and fell head over heels for former Byker Grove star Ant when they were performing in Newcastle with their respective pop acts, Deuce and PJ & Duncan.
They spent 23 years together before he left her in late 2017 and Lisa still holds onto the countless Christmases they spent together.
A source tells The Suns: “In the past 10 years or so Christmas had always been the opportunity for Ant and Lisa to spend quality time together. It would mark their reunion after Ant’s stint in Australia and Lisa working really hard on Strictly.
“It meant more of their wild parties – they’d both enjoyed hosting dinner parties and events at home for a host of pals including Christine and Frank Lampard and Holly Willoughby and her husband Dan Baldwin.
"But Christmas also meant proper couple time, Lisa loved nothing more than being the three of them, her, Ant and Hurley, at home on the sofa by the fire. Now he’s doing all of that with Anne Marie.”
After finding out he was in a relationship with their former PA, Lisa was told she couldn't return to her beloved Britain's Got Talent job in 2019, which Ant hosts with Dec, something else she’s still adjusting to.
“They’d often head off to the Maldives, Dubai or somewhere sunny for New Year before everything started again with work and they both worked on Britain’s Got Talent.
“Lisa can’t help but be a little nostalgic for those times, she can’t believe how it all went so wrong and fell apart. She was so happy for so many years and she’d not going to feel settled for a few more years.”
The nightmare before Christmas
In October Lisa was announced as a guest judge on Stacey Dooley's BBC Three show Glow Up, a month later she won the best Make Up Design – Entertainment & Non Drama gong.
She was congratulated by pal Piers Morgan who Tweeted, “Congrats to my lovely friend & long-time Life Stories make-up artist @lisaAmakeup for this well-deserved award. Proud of you!'
But her happiness has been overshadowed once again as a source reveals she’s living in fear Ant will propose to Anne Marie over Christmas.
Lisa was less than thrilled when news first broke of the relationship in June 2018. Taking to Twitter, she fumed: “Yeah My Friend and OUR PA who I let into OUR home.”
New Year, New Lisa
In the build up to Christmas, Lisa was snapped leaving a hotel with music executive Jeremy Hewitt, 51, who works with stars including Little Mix, Niall Horan and Lenny Kravitz.
A source tells The Sun that they met through her close pal Craig Robert Young but friends have played down any hint of romance.
“Lisa isn’t ready for a serious relationship, she’s just focused on getting through the next week at Christmas then she’s planning to head to LA with Craig and have a proper break, she also thinks if Ant does propose she’d like to be out of the country.”
It looks like 2020 is set to be an eventful year for Lisa, she’s set to release her own makeup line and has BBC show Glow Up to start filming for.
While the court battle with Ant looms over her, a source tells The Sun she’s determined to come out winning.
“Lisa has gone through hell and back, her marriage took its toll on her – she went through so much, then to have to see Ant move on with her friend, to lose her job on BGT and then her dad.
“She took her time to accept what has happened and while she’s deeply sad Christmas isn’t what it once was she is determined more than ever before to emerge triumphant next year especially in court. Ant should be very worried.”
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