Ant McPartlin and Lisa Armstrong granted a divorce

  • Published
McPartlin and ArmstrongImage source, Getty Images
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McPartlin and Armstrong were married for eleven years

TV presenter Ant McPartlin and his estranged wife Lisa Armstrong have been granted a divorce.

The decision was made by a judge at the Central Family Court in London on Tuesday. Armstrong had sought a divorce on the grounds of adultery.

Judge Alun Jenkins granted the couple a decree nisi in under 30 seconds at the court.

42-year-old McPartlin confirmed the pair were splitting in January after 11 years of marriage.

Court documents indicated the judge held that "the respondent has committed adultery and that the petitioner finds it intolerable to live with the respondent."

McPartlin and 41-year-old Armstrong will now have to wait for a decree absolute - usually issued six weeks and one day following the granting of a decree nisi - to officially end the marriage.

Hours after the divorce was granted, Armstrong appeared on BBC Two's Strictly: It Takes Two programme to give a make-up tutorial.

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Lisa shows off her make-up credentials on Strictly: It Takes Two

In a pre-recorded element of Strictly Come Dancing's sister show on Tuesday, Armstrong - the show's head make-up artist - created a glamorous punk look for viewers to recreate at home.

No reference was made made to McPartlin and Armstrong's divorce proceedings.

The couple met in 1990 on a roadshow in Newcastle, when they were both aspiring pop stars. Armstrong was in a band named Deuce at the time.

The couple were married at Cliveden House in Berkshire in 2006. They have no children.

Last year McPartlin went into rehab after struggling with a painkiller addiction that stemmed from a knee operation in 2015.

He has also had problems with alcohol and was banned from driving for 20 months in April after being caught more than twice the legal drink drive limit.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

McPartlin said the April court appearance was a "turning point" for him

Following the incident, the presenter, who has worked alongside Declan Donnelly for nearly 25 years, announced he was reducing his TV commitments.

It was confirmed earlier this year that he would not present the next series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and would instead be replaced by Holly Willoughby.

Donnelly also presented a number of episodes of Saturday Night Takeaway without McPartlin in April after his drink-driving conviction.

Despite stepping out of the spotlight, McPartlin is still in contention for an award at the National Television Awards.

In the longlist, released on Monday, Ant and Dec were named in the TV Presenter and the Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award categories.

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