Ant ‘tells wife that he wants a divorce’ after year of turmoil for the TV star

ANT McPartlin has reportedly told his wife, Lisa Armstrong, that he wants a divorce despite her allegedly ‘clinging on to hope that they can work things out’.

Insiders say the presenter is preparing to end his marriage having not been pictured with his wife of 11 years in four months and is seeing in the New Year with his mother Christine and sister Sarah.

It was claimed in The Sun that Ant, 42, who checked into rehab for prescription painkiller addiction over the summer, has asked Lisa, 41, for the split but that she would not agree to putting out an official statement.

The claims came as Ant was seen returning to his rented home in London with his sister Sarah on Saturday ahead of New Year’s Eve.

The source said: ‘Ant and Lisa are definitely over. He sees no way back for their marriage. Lisa has been struggling to accept it is the end.

‘It is all very sad, especially with all she has gone through this year. She was clinging to the hope they could work things out.’

The insider added that the pair were both ‘devastated’ but are still on friendly terms, and that no one else is involved in the split.

The claim comes amid reports Ant spent Christmas away from Lisa, fuelling further speculation over their marital status.

The Sun reports that a source close to him said: ‘Ant knows he and Lisa have to make a decision about their future. Ant doesn’t feel there is any future in the marriage, and while Lisa is hoping there’s a chance they can turn things around, he doesn’t see how they can.’

The couple have reportedly been living apart, with Ant moving out of their £6million property earlier this year to attend rehab for an addiction to super-strong painkillers.

He had spent the last two months filming Down Under for I’m A Celebrity, but make-up artist Lisa was unable to join him overseas, owing to her commitments to BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing.

At the time, Lisa dismissed claims that this made her ‘estranged’ from Ant, explaining that she had not been out to Australia with him for 10 years.

However, a contradicting source has now told the Sunday Mirror that Lisa reportedly felt more ‘independent, happier and stronger’ while Ant was away in Oz.