Lisa Armstrong and Ant McPartlin Cross Paths After Eight Years Apart— A Heartbreaking Twist

A private loss forced the former partners back into the same room after years of silence. What unfolded behind closed doors has reignited memories of one of Britain's most painful celebrity splits.

Lisa Armstrong and Ant McPartlin came face to face last week for the first time in roughly eight years, brought together by shared grief rather than any thaw in their long-running feud.

The former couple reunited on February 12, 2026, at a west London veterinary practice to put down their chocolate Labrador, Hurley, after being told he was seriously ill and would not recover.

The meeting marked the first time they had been in the same room since around 2018, after their highly public and acrimonious split.

In the aftermath, Hurley also became a symbol of the separation itself.

McPartlin, 50, left a "Britain's Got Talent" press launch in Soho — where he had been appearing alongside Declan Donnelly, Simon Cowell, and Amanda Holden — to meet Armstrong, 48, a "Strictly Come Dancing" head make-up artist.

Both were able to see Hurley beforehand, and McPartlin was with the dog at the moment he died, according to those familiar with what happened. For years, Hurley had been more than a pet to the pair.

Adopted in 2013 while they struggled to conceive, the Labrador became their surrogate child, a role that only intensified after their 13-year marriage collapsed in 2018.

In the aftermath, Hurley also became a symbol of the separation itself. The former couple initially agreed to share custody, but the bitterness between them meant the arrangement could not be managed directly. A source familiar with the exes revealed:

"There is too much hurt. Too much has happened."

Donnelly, McPartlin's long-time presenting partner, was subsequently left acting as an informal go-between, ferrying the dog between homes.

The custody battle became a bitter focal point of their divorce, with Armstrong hurt by the reality of splitting time with the dog she viewed as her main source of comfort.

McPartlin, who later credited Hurley with helping him through alcohol and drug addiction, refused to give up his share — even as his personal life moved on.

Over the years, he built a new family with Anne-Marie Corbett, the couple's former personal assistant, whom he married in 2021. He also added two more dogs to his household — maltipoos Bumble and Milo — and welcomed a son, Wilder Patrick, in May 2024.

For Armstrong, friends say, the contrast sharpened a sense of being left behind, particularly as she navigated life alone in her 40s, still childless. An insider revealed:

"Lisa had to watch Ant move on with a woman Lisa regarded as her friend, and that was devastating."

One friend claimed Armstrong struggled to understand why, with so much new joy around him, McPartlin could not make what she saw as a meaningful sacrifice. To her, Hurley represented stability during upheaval. However, to him, the bond remained non-negotiable.

"She was both cross and very, very upset. It was cruel — plain cruel. After everything she did for him and him walking away, she just hoped he might do the decent thing, but he didn't," the insider added.

The pair's history stretches back decades. They met in 1994 on the music scene, when Armstrong was 18, and McPartlin was 20. The former was in the band Deuce, while the latter and Donnelly were building careers as PJ and Duncan, their pop double act.

The former couple eventually married in 2006 at Cliveden House near Maidenhead, Berkshire, with Donnelly as best man, and for years, they appeared to the public to be living a charmed life.

However, privately, their struggle to conceive cast a long shadow. Thus, Hurley's arrival in 2013 brought a sense of purpose and joy, but by the end of 2017, it had become clear McPartlin was battling serious issues with substance abuse.

Online, the dog's final hours prompted a flood of reaction, ranging from empathy to criticism.

He later entered treatment following a March 2018 drink-driving crash in south-west London that injured two people, including a three-year-old child, and resulted in a record fine of £86,000 at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court.

Armstrong largely avoided cashing in on the divorce, turning down lucrative "tell-all" offers. She dated at times, most recently actor Grant Kilburn — a relationship that began after being introduced by "Strictly" colleague Kevin Clifton — but the romance fizzled out in January 2026.

On February 14, 2026, she posted a Valentine's message on Instagram aimed at those spending the day alone, a pointed public moment that reignited discussion about how much anger remains.

Whether that message referenced McPartlin, Kilburn, or another former partner was unclear — but the timing, so soon after Hurley's death, underscored the rawness of the week.

Online, the dog's final hours prompted a flood of reaction, ranging from empathy to criticism. One person commented, "Nice that the dog had them both there in his final moments. That time was about the dog, not them and their history."

Another wrote, "I wonder what aspect(s) of their relationship the dog represents? Can you imagine what they would have been like if they'd had a child together. It might be helpful if they both had therapy."

Others focused on what the custody dispute implied. One netizen argued that labelling Hurley a surrogate child carried responsibilities, and suggested it was inconsistent to expect McPartlin to walk away from him simply because he later had a human child.

They went on to say Hurley had borne the emotional weight of their separation and deserved better — a view that framed the dog as a silent casualty of their breakup.

Meanwhile, other comments took a less sympathetic tone toward Armstrong. One person wrote, "This woman will never find happiness until she let's [sic] go of the past."

Another added, "8 years later and she's still trying to stir up trouble for him. He's clean, sober and happy. Must stick in her craw. Move on girl and be happy with the wonderful life you have [sic]."

Some criticised the dramatic framing of the event itself. One commenter said, "Putting a dog to sleep is not the most tragic circumstance imaginable. If it is, you don't know what true suffering and grief is. You've had an easy life."

For McPartlin and Armstrong, however, Hurley's death appears to have cut through years of hostility, if only briefly. Those close to the situation say the reunion was a one-off, prompted solely by the reality of losing the animal that had anchored them through infertility, addiction, and divorce.

In the end, Hurley did what neither time nor distance had achieved: he brought the former couple into the same room again — not to settle old scores, but to grieve the dog they once loved like family.