{"id":438546,"date":"2026-02-21T21:05:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T21:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/438546\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T21:05:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T21:05:09","slug":"ant-mcpartlin-and-lisa-armstrongs-tearful-realisation-after-first-meeting-in-eight-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/438546\/","title":{"rendered":"Ant McPartlin and Lisa Armstrong’s ‘tearful realisation’ after first meeting in eight years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ant and Lisa made the heartbreaking decision to put their 12-year-old dog Hurley to sleep.Leo Roberts and Ambarish Awale<\/a> Trainee Trends, Showbiz and Lifestyle Writer<\/p>\n

15:32, 21 Feb 2026<\/p>\n

\"ASCOT,<\/p>\n

Ant McPartlin left a Britain\u2019s Got Talent launch event to join his ex-wife Lisa Armstrong at the vet after their dog Hurley was taken seriously ill(Image: Max Mumby\/Indigo\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Ant McPartlin and his ex-wife Lisa Armstrong reunited last week for the first time in eight years<\/a> after their beloved dog<\/a>, Hurley, fell gravely ill. TV presenter Ant abruptly left a launch event for the new series of Britain\u2019s Got Talent upon learning that the chocolate Labrador had been rushed to the vet.<\/p>\n

At the clinic, the couple made the heartbreaking decision to put the 12-year-old dog to sleep. Ant<\/a>, 50, and Lisa, 49, adopted Hurley in 2013, and the Labrador had remained central to their lives even after their acrimonious split in 2018, Mirror<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n

During their divorce, Hurley became the focus of a bitter custody dispute, with Ant reportedly stating his ex could have \u201canything but Hurley.\u201d He later clarified, \u201cHurley\u2019s welfare comes first and we both love him very much. That\u2019s the way it is really.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the pair agreed on joint custody, allowing Hurley to split his time between Lisa and Ant, who is now married<\/a> to his former personal assistant, Anne-Marie Corbett, 46. To avoid direct contact, Ant\u2019s long-time TV partner, Declan Donnelly, reportedly acted as an intermediary, ferrying Hurley between their homes.<\/p>\n

Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/p>\n

A source told the press, \u201cThe one thing they both loved was that dog. The dog brought them together and was like an anchor. Lisa has been very hurt by Ant, but they were able to put that behind them in the vet\u2019s office. It was a truce.\u201d<\/p>\n

The insider added that Hurley\u2019s passing may help heal old wounds, noting: \u201cThere were tears and they both realised that it\u2019s been a long time and life is so short. Hopefully they can move on now.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Ant is now married to Anne-Marie and shares a 20-month-old son, Wilder, with her, Lisa\u2019s love life has been more complicated.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, it was reported that she had split from her latest boyfriend, actor Grant Kilburn, 34, who is touring with the play 2:22 A Ghost Story. A source said, \u201cIt\u2019s very sad but it wasn\u2019t to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google\u2019s preferred sources. Click HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

On Valentine\u2019s Day<\/a>, Lisa posted a tongue-in-cheek poem reading, \u201cRoses are flowers, pebbles are stones. Here\u2019s a big shout out to those on their own. Count yourself lucky and try not to sob. Look on the bright side, you\u2019re not with a n*b!\u201d<\/p>\n

Friends said the post reflected her ability to find humour in the situation, adding, \u201cShe\u2019s got a sense of humour and that anger is leaving her. She\u2019s finding that she\u2019s less angry and is able to laugh about it now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Ant and Lisa have struggled with grief since Hurley\u2019s death. Lisa posted a tribute on social media featuring the poem Rainbow Bridge, alongside a photo of Hurley\u2019s paws.<\/p>\n

The poem read: \u201cYou left paw prints on our hearts from the moment we brought you home, so many wonderful adventures, all the places where we roamed. The rainbow bridge came to call you, our time came to an end, you were never just a dog but always our best friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LONDON,<\/p>\n

A source said Hurley had been the bond between the couple and, despite past hurt, they called a truce at the vet(Image: Dave J Hogan\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Ant, who has remained private about his loss, previously described Hurley\u2019s companionship as vital during his battles with addiction.<\/p>\n

In 2019, he said: \u201cThere\u2019s a loyalty, love and companionship with Hurley you can\u2019t describe. He never tells me off and is always pleased to see me.\u201d<\/p>\n

A source revealed that the TV star was \u201cin bits\u201d after Hurley\u2019s passing and decided to travel abroad, finding it too difficult to be around the dog\u2019s belongings at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe absolutely adored Hurley and, naturally, he\u2019s devastated. Hurley has been a part of his life for 12 years, so to lose him like this is crushing,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n

Friends hope Lisa, who regularly shared clips of her \u201cbaby boy\u201d online, will consider adopting another dog to help cope with the loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s so distraught about Hurley, but she\u2019s also such a dog lover, and all her friends are saying the best way to get over a dog is to get another one. But, you know, losing Hurley was also like saying a final goodbye to Ant,\u201d the source added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ant and Lisa made the heartbreaking decision to put their 12-year-old dog Hurley to sleep.Leo Roberts and Ambarish…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":438547,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[61377,6491,5478,96,5935,1598,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-438546","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-ant-and-dec","9":"tag-celebrities","10":"tag-dogs","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-love-and-romance","13":"tag-strictly-come-dancing","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438546\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/438547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}