It’s been five years since their dramatic split, but insiders say Lisa Armstrong is becoming hopeful that she and ex Ant McPartlin can work towards getting to a good place.

A NEW OUTLOOK

The pair – who were together for more than 20 years – divorced in 2018, months after Ant had been to rehab. While the TV star, 47, went on to marry his PA and Lisa’s former pal Anne-Marie Corbett, 46, in August 2021, Lisa, 46, is happily loved-up with her boyfriend of nearly three years, James Green, 40.

An insider tells Closer, “Lisa has a new outlook on life now, thanks to James. She feels so lucky that she’s found happiness a second time around and doesn’t want to waste any of it feeling bitter or upset – she’s fed up with the tension. She can’t speak for Ant, but she’s really happy in her new relationship, plus work is going great and she’s loving life. She’s reached out for peace talks and really wants things to work out OK between them, but hasn’t heard anything back yet.”

Ant and Lisa’s break-up was announced in January 2018, months after the presenter entered rehab due to a two-year addiction to painkillers. Later that year, the shock news emerged that he had moved on with Anne-Marie, and Lisa posted a broken heart emoji on Twitter. She also liked a series of messages offering support, responding to one with: “Yeah My Friend and OUR PA who I let into OUR home.”

Lisa and Ant’s high-profile £31million divorce was eventually finalised in April 2020, but throughout the drama one major issue has been over who gets to spend time with the couple’s much-loved chocolate Labrador, Hurley. The pair adopted him in 2013 after struggling to conceive, and Ant has said, “There’s a loyalty and love and a companionship with Hurley that you can’t describe.”

CUSTODY BATTLE

According to reports, it was initially agreed that the pooch would divide his time 50/50 between Ant and Lisa’s London homes, with Ant’s chauffeur ferrying him to and fro. But the arrangement is said to have remained a bone of contention between the pair, reportedly leading to “difficult conversations.”

However, insiders say Lisa wants to put the drama behind her, and that she is hoping they can co-parent Hurley more amicably. The source reveals, “Lisa and Ant have kept hurting each other with rows over who gets to look after Hurley and when over the years, because they both adore him. But from Lisa’s perspective, there shouldn’t be any animosity between them anymore.

 “She’s willing to be the bigger person and wave the white flag, but mutual pals still fear Ant won’t want to know. Lisa doesn’t understand why, as he seems to happy with his new wife. She wants them all to just move on.”