Ant McPartlin’s estranged wife has flown to Los Angeles for a fresh start.
The 42-year-old presenter split from his spouse Lisa Armstrong last year and, although they were dealing with their issues privately, the make-up artist has decided to escape to the US for a month so that she can be comforted by her friends after it emerged that Ant is now in a relationship with his former PA Anne-Marie Corbett.
A source told The Mail on Sunday newspaper: "She has been most loyal to Ant through what has not only been a difficult time for him, but for her also.
"She has been so understanding of his drinking; after all, she put up with two years of hell as she desperately tried to save him from spiralling out of control. So the news of his new girlfriend has left her distraught. She feels utterly wronged in all of this.
"She is doing a fantastic job of holding it together but it’s really, really hard. She feels like she has lost so much but is being so brave. As hard as it is, she now needs to start a new life. She felt for a long time that she has lost everything. Now she is trying to get through that and her trip to LA is to see what’s out there."
It’s believed the ‘Saturday Night Takeaway’ star is so keen to push through with officially ending his marriage as soon as possible in order to move on with his life that he’s offered Lisa, 41, their multi-million pound martial home in west London.
A source said recently: "Ant wants this settled quickly and painlessly. He doesn’t want to fight and made it clear Lisa could have an extremely generous offer.
"He even said he would sign over their house."
But Lisa reportedly rejected the offer and refused to sign the paperwork.
The insider explained: "It takes very little now to spark a blazing row between them. That’s why it’s for the best they don’t speak directly. It’s the only way. They communicate via lawyers and through members of his management team. But Lisa doesn’t trust anyone around him because she knows they are fiercely loyal to him."
Lisa learned of Ant’s new romance while browsing the internet and expressed her upset by posting two broken hearts on her Twitter account.
She’s now determined to find out as much as possible about Ant’s new relationship with his assistant and has even tried to win the support of Anne-Marie’s estranged husband Scott, but he’s told her he doesn’t want to get involved.