Declan Donnelly says Ant McPartlin hasn’t asked him to be best man yet
‘We’ll see!’ Declan Donnelly says Ant McPartlin hasn’t asked him to be best man yet as he discusses his co-host’s romantic Christmas Eve proposal to Anne-Marie Corbett
- It was revealed on Friday night that Ant, 45, had popped the question to personal assistant Anne-Marie, 43, after asking for her family’s blessing
- Discussing the engagement, Declan said he was ‘happy’ for his co-host but joked that he is yet to be asked to be best man
- Ant popped the question at home on Christmas Eve in a romantic setting a spokesperson confirmed to MailOnline
- The star is believed to have asked for Anne-Marie’s family’s blessing and thoughtfully designed her engagement ring himself
- Ant and Anne-Marie were first linked in March 2018, two months after Ant confirmed that he had split from wife of 12 years Lisa Armstrong
- Lisa and Ant finalised their divorce in April 2020
- Only recently, Ant made a sweet reference to Anne-Marie on I’m A Celebrity 2020 when he said ‘my happy place is at home with my girlfriend’
Declan Donnelly has said that Ant McPartlin is yet to ask him to be best man at his wedding to Anne-Marie Corbett after getting engaged on Christmas Eve.
It was revealed on Friday night that Ant, 45, had popped the question to personal assistant Anne-Marie, 43, after asking for her family’s blessing.
Discussing the engagement, Declan said he was ‘happy’ for his co-host but joked that he is yet to be asked to be best man.
Pals: Declan Donnelly has said that Ant McPartlin is yet to ask him to be best man at his wedding to Anne-Marie Corbett after getting engaged on Christmas Eve (pictured on I’m A Celebrity in December)
He told the Mirror: ‘He hasn’t asked me yet. I wait to be asked. We’ll see!’
It was reported on Friday night that Declan was ‘thrilled’ over the engagement and is expected to ‘act as the best man’ at their wedding – just as he was at Ant’s first nuptials to ex-wife Lisa Armstrong, 44, back in 2006 in Buckinghamshire.
Ant also got the honour of fulfilling the best man role at Dec’s nuptials to Ali Astall in 2015 where the duo wore matching bright blue suits.
Elsewhere, the presenter’s stepdad David Woodhall, who was married to Ant’s mother Christine, told the publication: ‘We knew it was coming out. I am really happy for them. Anthony is over the moon.
Congratulations! It was revealed on Friday night that Ant, 45, had popped the question to personal assistant Anne-Marie, 43, after asking for her family’s blessing (pictured in 2019)
‘Unexpected, in ways, but with the lockdown he couldn’t do what he wanted to do.’
MailOnline has contacted Ant’s representatives for comment.
It was revealed on Friday night that Ant was engaged to girlfriend Anne-Marie after romantically popping the question on Christmas Eve.
The newly-engaged presenter looked over the moon as he headed out for a golf session on Friday with his fiancée Anne-Marie Corbett’s daughter.
Ant has been linked to the personal assistant since March 2018, it comes three years after Ant confirmed he had split from his wife of 12 years, make-up artist Lisa Armstrong, 44.
Getting serious: Ant and Anne-Marie were first linked in March 2018, two months after Ant released a statement to confirm that he had split from wife of 12 years Lisa Armstrong (pictured in 2019)
A spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Ant and Amzie are delighted to announce their engagement. The proposal took place on Christmas Eve at home in a very romantic setting.’
While a pal told The Sun: ‘Ant has been planning this for some time – but wanted to make sure the moment was just right.
‘He’s a traditionalist, so got down on one knee after first checking with Anne Marie’s family that he had their blessing. It was super-romantic, and obviously Anne-Marie said “yes” straight away.’
‘Obviously getting engaged in the midst of a pandemic isn’t ideal when it comes to planning a wedding… at the moment a summer ceremony is looking extremely unlikely, so it may well be a 2022 affair.’
They added that Ant thoughtfully designed Anne-Marie’s ring himself.
Exes: The exciting engagement news comes three years after Ant confirmed his split from Lisa, they are said to have finalised their divorce in April (pictured on their wedding day in 2006)
Breaking her silence? The presenter’s ex-wife Lisa is yet to comment on the news although she did respond to fans on social media about her new make-up range with Avon
The presenter’s ex-wife Lisa is yet to comment on the news although she did respond to fans on social media about her new make-up range with Avon.
The engagement also comes after Ant made a sweet reference to Anne-Marie on I’m A Celebrity when he said ‘my happy place is at home with my girlfriend.’
During one of the trials, radio host Jordan North, 30, who finished second in the show, had to lay entombed in a metal cage while 50 snakes slithered all over him.
In an attempt to make the 10 minutes go by faster, Jordan chatted away to the hosts and asked them random questions as well as for their autographs.
The DJ asked the duo to name their ‘happy place’, telling Ant: ‘You go first.’
He quickly said, ‘at home with my girlfriend and the kids’, which prompted an ‘oh, that’s lovely’ from Jordan as he tried his best to stay composed with the snakes.
Ant and Anne-Marie share two dogs, Milo and Brumble, and are thought to have finally moved into their seven-bedroom £6m South West London home in 2020 after purchasing it the year before.
Ant and Anne-Marie were first linked in March 2018, two months after Ant released a statement to confirm that he had split from wife of 12-years Lisa Armstrong.
Best man? A ‘thrilled’ Declan Donnelly is expected to ‘act as the best man’ at their wedding – just as he was at Ant’s first nuptials to Lisa back in 2006
Anne-Marie separated from her husband Scott in October 2017, and the pair amicably co-parent their two daughters.
In March 2018, Anne-Marie, the former couple’s personal assistant, was seen giving Ant a packed lunch outside his house.
She also accompanied Ant to his court date, where he was fined £86,000 and disqualified from driving for 20 months after admitting drink-driving, in April 2018.
The pair continued to be seen over the next several months, and in June 2018, having revealed that she didn’t know Ant and Anne-Marie were dating, Lisa accused Ant’s new girlfriend of ‘breaking the girl code’ by dating the TV star.
In October 2018, just days before his and Lisa’s divorce application was granted, Ant was seen holding his phone, which had him and Anne-Marie as the screensaver.
Wedding time! Both Ant and Anne-Marie have been married before, with the personal assistant separating from her husband Scott in October 2017 (pictured in 2019)
Ant and Lisa’s union legally came to an end during a 30-second hearing. However in November 2018, the pair were said to be fighting over custody of dog, Hurley.
Lisa and Ant finalised their divorce in April 2020 after their split in 2018 following the presenter’s highly documented battle with painkillers and alcohol.
Saturday Night Takeaway’s Ant was reported to have handed over £31m to Lisa in their divorce settlement, including their £5m home in West London, after an ‘eight-hour negotiation’.
The beauty expert was said to have been the ‘peacemaker’ during an eight-hour long discussion about her divorce from the TV star, claimed The Sun.
The publication first alleged the TV veteran offered up more than half of his estimated £50m fortune, but was ‘delighted’ that the case has come to an end as he can ‘move on’, two years after announcing their split.
How exciting: Ant has reportedly been planning to propose for some time, wanting to make sure the event was perfect and even asking for blessing from her family (pictured in March)
However, as the news broke, the former singer took to Twitter to deny the reports, posting: ‘Nope a load of nonsense AGAIN….’
She went to ‘like’ tweets that stated: ‘No amount of money could ever compensate for what this poor girl has had to endure’, and ‘Get what you can!
‘You deserve it! Terrible treatment of you since you found out when we did! And with a so called friend! It’s heartbreaking behaviour,’ said another.
In 2019, friends of the former couple told The Mail On Sunday that despite efforts by Ant to keep their split low-key, Lisa still wanted her day in court.
Lisa is understood to have felt that Ant ‘got away with a lot’ following their split. She was also believed to be dismayed and deeply hurt that he moved on so quickly when he started a new relationship with Anne-Marie.
A source close to the couple said: ‘Ant has been very generous in terms of the financial settlement but Lisa is totally the opposite of someone who is motivated by money.
Dog parents: Ant and ex Lisa share custody of their beloved Labrador, Hurley, following their split (Lisa pictured with Hurley in March 2016)
‘She doesn’t care about that – she earns her own. But she has been so hurt by all of this.
‘What the general public and his fans don’t realise is that Ant’s decision to end the marriage came after years of Lisa trying to save him from himself.
‘Watching him move on was very, very difficult. Lisa is very much aware that a judge may not award her as much as Ant is offering but she doesn’t care.
‘She has suffered tremendously in all of this and she wants her day in court.’
Their union legally came to an end during a 30-second hearing in October 2018, finalising over a decade of marriage.
During the hearing, Ant had to technically admit adultery with Anne-Marie as their relationship officially began while he and Lisa were still married.
A year before they split, Ant entered rehab after struggling with a two-year addiction to super-strength painkillers following a knee operation in 2015.
In April 2018, he was banned from the road for 20 months and fined £86,000 for driving while more than twice the legal limit, according to police.
Split: Ant and Lisa’s union legally came to an end during a 30-second hearing. However in November 2018, the pair were said to be fighting over custody of dog, Hurley (pictured in 2017)
Ant McPartlin and Lisa Armstrong’s relationship timeline
Ant and Lisa first met in 1994. At the time Ant and life-long TV partner Declan Donnelly were reaching new TV and music heights as PJ & Duncan following their stint on Byker Grove. Lisa was in a band called Deuce at the time.
The pair met in the 1994 Smash Hits tour in Newcastle, where Lisa’s Deuce performed alongside Ant and Dec’s musical alter-egos.
They started dating and were together for over ten years before Ant decided to take it to the next level, proposing to Lisa while on holiday in Dubai in 2005.
Struggles: In 2013, Ant and Lisa spoke about their struggles to conceive, telling Radio Times, ‘Lisa and I would love to have kids. We’re trying. It’s tougher than you think’
They were married in 2006 on July 26 at a country house hotel in Buckinghamshire. Dec was Ant’s best man.
In that time, Deuce split and Lisa retrained as a makeup artist, ultimately working her way up to become head of makeup and hair for BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.
In 2013, Ant and Lisa spoke about their struggles to conceive, telling Radio Times: ‘Lisa and I would love to have kids. We’re trying. It’s tougher than you think when you get a bit older.’
The TV star also revealed that he wasn’t holding off from having children until Dec, who at the time was single at the time, was with someone.
‘There’s a rumour that we do everything together and I’m holding off having kids till Dec finds himself Mrs Right. I love that idea, but I’m afraid it’s not true.’
Happier times: The pair made a public appearance when they attended Dec’s wedding to Ali Astall, where Ant returned the favour and served as Dec’s best man
He also told Fabulous Magazine: ‘I think I’m lucky. Lisa works in the industry and understands it. She’s constantly working – sometimes more than me!
‘We would love to have a family so fingers crossed. If we’re blessed with children, then we’d be over the moon!’
The pair made a public appearance when they attended Dec’s wedding to Ali Astall, where Ant returned the favour and served as Dec’s best man.
Lisa frequently supports Ant and his lucrative TV career, most recently attending the 2017 National Television Awards—just 12 months before the couple announced their separation.
In June 2017, Ant went into rehab for alcohol and drug addiction.
In a statement to The Sun at the time, Ant said: ‘The first step is to admit to yourself you need help. I’ve let people down. I’m truly sorry. I feel like I have let a lot of people down and for that I’m truly sorry. I want to thank my wife, family and closest friends through this really difficult time.’
Lisa took to Twitter to thank the support her husband received: ‘Completely overwhelmed by all your love & support it means so much. I’m relieved he’s receiving the help he needs, we just need him better.’
Ant then told the Sun about the impact his addiction had on Lisa: I’ve put Lisa through hell with mood swings and depression and how it affects you. I’m very sorry about the effect it has on partners. This kind of stuff puts strains on any marriage. All I can say at the moment is that she’s been amazing — fantastic throughout.’
In autumn 2017, rumours of a split emerged after Lisa didn’t accompany Ant to Australia for I’m A Celeb, something which she quickly denied, pointing out she has a job and hasn’t been to Australia for years.
On January 14, 2018, the couple announced that their 11-year marriage has ended.
The couple announced their split in January when a representative said: ‘In response to the recent speculation in the media, Ant is very sad to announce that, after eleven years, he is ending his marriage to Lisa McPartlin.
In March 2018, Anne-Marie Corbett, the couple’s personal assistant was seen giving Ant a packed lunch outside his house. She accompanied him to his court date in April.
The pair continue to be seen over the next several months, and in June 2018, having revealed that she didn’t know Ant and Corbett were dating, Lisa accused Ant’s new girlfriend of ‘breaking the girl code’ by dating the TV star.
In October 2018, just days before their divorce application was granted, Ant was seen holding his phone, which has him and Corbett as the screensaver.
Their union legally came to an end during a 30-second hearing.
In November 2018, the pair were said to be fighting over custody of their pet labrador, Hurley
In January 2020, Ant and Lisa were said to have finalised their divorce deal
Ant agreed to hand over £31m to his ex-wife in the settlement, including their £5million former marital home in West London
The couple will share custody of pet dog Hurley
