Ant McPartlin breaks his silence over ‘missing’ part of new tattoo amid dog custody battle with ex Lisa Armstrong
ANT McPartlin has broken his silence after fans called him out over a ‘missing’ part of his new tattoo.
Many followers of the Britain’s Got Talent host, 48, were unimpressed when Ant showed off his latest inking as he announced the birth of his son Wilder earlier this week.
The image he shared of his tatt showed the names of his newborn, his wife Anne-Marie Corbett, 46, and his stepdaughters Daisy and Poppy etched into the design of a tree on his arm.
But the name of his beloved dog Hurley, who he shares custody of with his ex wife Lisa Amstrong, was nowhere to be seen.
Now Ant has taken to X, formerly twitter, to set the record straight and reassure fans that Hurley’s name IS on his arm – it just wasn’t visible in the previous snap he shared.
Ant posted a new shot of his tattoo, showing the name of his labrador clearly visible in the bottom left hand corner of the tree.
The Geordie presenter wrote: “Hey all, I just wanted to say thank You so much for the kind messages of love and well wishes for our baby Wilder. He’s doing great. Glad you loved the tattoo as well.
He then pointed out: “For all you dog lovers who asked why my beloved Hurley wasn’t on the family tree..he was!! He was just covered by our newborn. All my love, gratitude and heartfelt thanks.”
Ant then signed off with a heart emoji and the letter A.
In the original image he shared, baby Wilder was lying on his arm, meaning that Hurley’s name was obscured.
Ant’s clarification comes as The Sun revealed that his heartbroken ex Lisa has decided to fight him for full custody of Hurley.
Lisa, 47, has decided she needs 10-year-old Hurley with her all the time, following the arrival of Ant’s first child with his former personal assistant Anne-Marie.
While Lisa always knew the birth was coming following the announcement of Anne-Marie’s pregnancy, it has still taken its toll on the make-up artist.
A source told The Sun yesterday: “Lisa is really struggling with the news, she knew it was coming and had geared herself up for it but it still hit hard when she saw it.
“She felt very betrayed by both Ant and Anne-Marie and felt that none of this has been handled sensitively, especially the announcement of the baby. She’s really been through it all in the past seven years and sometimes she amazes herself how strong she’s been.
“But the one thing that has got her through it and been by her side constantly is Hurley – she doesn’t know what she would do without him. He’s more than just a dog to her and has been a lifeline at times.”
Hurley is a fixture on Lisa’s social media account with her referring to him as “beautiful” and “mama’s baby boy”.
Hurley has been Lisa’s rock time and time again, when her relationships with men have left her wounded.
The gorgeous pup was there for her during her break-up from electrician James Green last autumn.
The sparky was abruptly given his marching orders from her £4 million London mansion, which Lisa has now put on the market.
And Hurley also helped rebuild her self-esteem in the aftermath at a time when Lisa vowed to “never be hurt again”.
She may have quite the fight on her hands though.
Ant and Dec's incredible career
ANT McPartlin and Declan Donnelly met on the set of Byker Grove in 1990.
The two went on to have chart success under their characters’ names – including their 1994 No1 smash hit Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble.
They haven’t looked back since then, going on to present some of the most popular shows on TV.
Here’s a rundown of some of their most popular shows – plus one “dud”.
- The Ant & Dec Show – this late afternoon kids’ entertainment series ran from 1995-1996 for 17 episodes
- Ant & Dec Unzipped – the twosome jumped from ITV to Channel 4 for this children’s sketch show in 1997
- SM:TV Live – the duo teamed up with Cat Deeley in 1998 for Saturday morning mayhem including the classic Wonkey Donkey game
- Friends Like These – the Geordie pair hopped channels again, landing on BBC One to present this game show from 1999 until 2001
- Pop Idol – before The X Factor there was Pop Idol, which ran for two seasons in 2001 and 2002 and saw Michelle McManus and Will Young crowned the winners
- I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here – the reality TV show began in 2002, with Dec presenting all 23 seasons, even one without sidekick Ant as Holly Willoughby stepped up
- Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway – this show also began in 2002, but the lads said the 2024 offering would be their last
- PokerFace – Ant and Dec created this game show which aired from 2006-2007. with a top prize of £1million.
- Britain’s Got Talent – the TV series began in 2007 with the pair’s backstage antics loved by fans. They also took part in silly competitions on Stephen Mulhern‘s ITV spin-off Britain’s Got More Talent
- Red Or Black – the show only aired for two seasons in 2011 and 2012. It was one of the pair’s rare “flops” with Dec admitting “we got it wrong”
- Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win – the pair had another success on their hands when this show hit screens in 2022
During their bitter divorce battle, Ant made it clear he was never given up his beloved dog.
He reportedly instructed lawyers at the time, saying: “She can have anything she wants – except the dog.”
But Lisa won’t back down either.
The source added: “She really had to fight Ant for him, which she still is annoyed about as he got other dogs with Anne-Marie and now she would just like Hurley to live with her full-time.
“Ant obviously loves Hurley as well but he now has a lot of other responsibilities and things going on in his life and Lisa can’t see why she can’t have full custody of him.”