Strictly Come Dancing make-up artists Lisa and Ant split after 11 years of marriage

Ant McPartlin’s ex wife Lisa Armstrong has announced her joy after becoming an aunty. Lisa, 48, who is the head make up artist for BBC show Strictly Come Dancing, shared pictures of her new newphew as she announced his birth on Boxing Day.

Alongside snaps of the baby boy in a cute elephant outfit, she revealed his unusual name to fans in the caption. Lisa wrote: “Introducing baby Bowers… Congratulations @morgan.brookex and @bowerz17 He’s just perfect! ! …. Jude John-Noel born 26/12/24 5lb 5oz. Great Aunty Cise can’t wait to meet you baby boy.” Her announcement was met with an outpour of love and congratulations in the comments section from her famous friends and fans. Comedian Alan Carr gushed: “Beautiful”, while another added: “Oh my goodness! Righty, he’s so cute! Congrats to you all xxx.”

A third added: “Congratulations on the new addition to your family.” Lisa and Ant announced their divorce in 2018 after 11 years of marriage. They had been together since she was just 17 and he was 18 after meeting on the 1994 Smash Hits tour.

Lisa also reflected on her challenging year by sharing a motivational quote stating: “You spent 2024 in survival mode. 2025 is your time to rise, rebuild, and thrive.”

It followed a tough period marked by Lisa addressing her silent struggles after her ex-husband Ant celebrated the birth of his first child with his current spouse Anne-Marie Corbett in July. Ant shared that his son Wilder had been born, announcing: “Baby is beautiful, Mummy’s a legend, Sisters are over the moon. Dad’s a mess.”

The snapshot also revealed a new tattoo on Ant’s arm, a family tree featuring the names Daisy, Poppy, and Amzie—his stepdaughters and his wife Anne-Marie’s nickname. This personal touch reportedly had a profound impact on Ant’s ex-wife Lisa, especially since the pair had previously expressed their desire to have children, with Ant once sharing: “Lisa and I would love to have kids. We’re trying. It’s tougher than you think when you get a bit older. We’ve been trying for a little while so fingers crossed.”

Sources suggest that Lisa learned about her former husband’s new addition through the media rather than from Ant directly. A confidant speaking to Mail Online said: “It is a tragedy. She missed her chance to have a baby and now she has to see Ant flaunting that tattoo on social media. He really didn’t need to do that. It feels like he was rubbing her face in it. You have to remember we are talking about a story of great sadness here, she gave Ant everything and at the end of it all, ended up with an empty crib.”

Following the buzz of his baby news, Lisa turned to social media to post some enigmatic messages about ‘silent battles’. She shared: “Be proud of how you have been handling these past few months. The silent battles you’ve fought, the moments you’ve had to humble yourself, the times you’ve wiped your own tears. Celebrate your strength.”

She also posted another telling quote: “I no longer listen to what people say, I just watch what they do. Behaviour never lies.”