We always knew dogs were magic. They have the ability to make burly men weep and bring smiles to babies’ faces. And now it seems one very special pup has managed to heal a deep-set and painful rift between two people. That’s right, chocolate Labrador Hurley has brought Ant McPartlin and Lisa Armstrong back together. OK, not quite, but they're now on speaking terms at least.
While the pair split over two years ago, their divorce battle has raged on for the majority of that time, with the couple struggling to agree over dividing up their assets – including custody of their beloved Hurley. But now, sources say they have finally agreed to share time with the pooch and have even been meeting face-to-face to hand him over – something the source has said is a, “huge step forward”.
“For a long time this just wouldn’t have been possible without an intermediary. Some of the rows at the height of the break-up were utterly explosive,” the insider explained. “Now, they’ve decided enough time has passed for them to be able to do it themselves.”
CHECK OUT Ant and Dec's career from the start
RADIO Ant and Dec career timeline SLIDER with cover pic
1 of 16Swipe through to see Ant and Dec's career timeline...
2 of 16Ant & Dec in Byker Grove: 1989
In 1989, Dec landed a part on BBC children's drama Byker Grove, playing Duncan. A year later Ant was cast as PJ – and thus, PJ and Duncan was born.
3 of 16Ant & Dec's friendship blossomed: 1990
Ant previously revealed his friendship with Dec started in 1990, when he sent him a Christmas card and invited him to a football match.He said, "And that was that. It just happened immediately. We clicked. We'd spend all day making each other laugh and annoying everyone and quoting Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer lines to each other."When their parts were written out of Byker Grove, the boys vowed to stick together. Dec told Weekend magazine, "We made a pact. We said to each other, 'Look, whatever happens, I'll always be there for you and you're never in this life on your own or against the world – you've always got a mate looking out for you."Dec said, "It's our choice to socialise outside work. And we both get to go to work with our best mate every day. And that keeps our feet on the ground" as Ant added, "We love each other, definitely."
4 of 16Ant and Dec's children's TV shows: 1994
Another career change for the boys came in 1994, when they began as co-presenters of children's show Gimme 5 on CITV. Just a year later they landed their own programme, The Ant & Dec Show, this time on CBBC.
5 of 16Ant and Dec's pop career: 1994
It wasn't just acting for the boys: PJ & Duncan were pop stars for a while, and became best known for their 1994 UK top 10 'Let's Get Ready to Rhumble'. After the pair performed it on Saturday Night Takeaway, the song went to Number 1 in March 2013.Their last studio album, The Cult of Ant and Dec, was released in 1997, managing to chart at number 15.
6 of 16Ant and Dec on SMTV: 1998
This kicked off their kids' TV careers, and landed them their first BAFTA Awards.After various other presenting gigs, Ant & Dec started hosting ITV's Saturday morning shows SMTV and CD
7 of 16Ant and Dec on Pop Idol: 2001
But, in 2001, they made the move from Saturday morning to prime time – for a little show called Pop Idol... They presented Pop Idol for two years, before it replaced with The X Factor and Kate Thornton took over.
8 of 16Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway: 2002
This gave them the opportunity to create and present Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, which is on hiatus until 2020 after Ant McPartlin decided to take a step back from presenting.
9 of 16Ant and Dec on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!: 2002
In 2002, a year after Saturday Night Takeaway's debut, the boys joined I'm a Celebrity and have become huge parts of the show. In 2018, Ant decided not to host the show, and This Morning's Holly Willoughby stepped in to present with Dec.
10 of 16Ant and Dec in Love Actually: 2003
Ant and Dec had become such huge names in the UK in 2003, that director Richard Curtis invited them to have cameos in Love Actually, where they cautiously interview Bill Nighy's character, Billy Mack who hilariously calls Dec 'Ant or Dec'.
11 of 16Ant and Dec on Britain's Got Talent: 2006
Establishing themselves as the busiest presenters in the country, Ant & Dec signed up for Britain's Got Talent in 2006 – and a year later signed a two-year golden handcuffs deal with ITV, which was thought to be worth £40 million and have been hosting the show ever since.
12 of 16Ant marries Lisa Armstrong: 2006
Ant married his long-term girlfriend Lisa Armstrong in 2006, with Dec acting as best man. Sadly, the marriage ended in 2018 after Ant's addiction struggles.
13 of 16Dec marries Ali Astall: 2015
In 2015, Dec married his longtime manager Ali Astall with Ant acting as best man - of course. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Isla in September 2018.
14 of 16Ant and Dec awarded OBEs: 2017
Ant and Dec were awarded OBEs in the 2017 Queen's honours for services to broadcasting and entertainment at Buckingham Palace. They said, "We're humbled and honoured and ecstatic about the whole thing. We hope it can inspire young people from backgrounds like ours that things like this do happen to us sometimes. Put your head down and work hard and you can achieve what you want. You can end up in Buckingham Palace."
15 of 16Ant's addiction struggles: 2017
In 2015, Ant was prescribed painkillers for botched surgery on his knee. Over the next two years, he became dependent on the drugs and on alcohol. In 2017, he entered rehab to deal with his addictions, and returned to work in the November. However, in March 2018, he was involved in a three-car road collision which involved a young family. He was arrested on suspicion of drink driving, and pleaded guilty in court in April. He was fined £86,000 and banned from driving for 20 months, and stepped down from his TV duties in August 2018, returning in January 2019.
16 of 16Ant and Dec's National Television Awards record: 2019
Among their numerous gongs, Ant & Dec have received the National Television Award for Best Presenter for 18 years running. They were also awarded a Guinness World Record for the most wins of the award in January 2019.
Just last year, Ant, 44, admitted in an interview that things were still incredibly tense between him and his ex-wife of 11 years – “We don’t speak. We haven’t for a while. It’s still ongoing in terms of the legal situation.”
He was also quick to condemn Lisa’s behaviour on social media, alluding to the make-up artist liking tweets and responding to comments by saying, “I purposely, throughout the whole of my divorce, have not said anything publicly. I’ve not been on social media or put any of my personal views out there. It’s not my style.”
However, in the same interview, Ant pointed out that one thing he and Lisa agreed on was their love for Hurley.
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“There’s a loyalty and a love and a companionship with Hurley that you can’t describe. We still share [him] quite evenly. Hurley’s welfare comes first and we both love him very much. That’s the way it is really.”
And now that their divorce has been finalised it seems they are able to be civil when it comes to their much-loved pet.
“They both adore the dog and agreeing how to share him was one of the biggest sticking blocks in their separation, so this is really a sort of closure,” the insider shared. “Lisa has been to the house to collect Hurley and they’ve handed him back and forth. Even though they will never be particularly close again, it makes life much easier.”
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