Ant Anstead departs courthouse amid ugly custody battle with ex-wife Christina Hall

Ant Anstead has been pictured departing a courthouse amid his ugly custody battle with ex-wife Christina Hall over their three-year-old son Hudson.

The Wheelers and Dealers host, 43, was spotted leaving an Orange County courthouse on Tuesday, four months after asking for full custody of their toddler.

The sighting comes after Ant accused Christina, 39, of ‘exploiting’ their child by using him in social media ads in court documents obtained by Us Weekly. He is also supporting having ‘joint’ physical custody of their child, reports the site. 

Ant was spotted leaving the courthouse wearing a smart beige jacket, black top, and acid wash jeans.

He turned his head towards a suited up man, who appeared to be his lawyer, as they strolled outside together.

While, despite the high stakes of the situation, Ant appeared rather relaxed, at one point he was seen with his hands crossed behind his back.

He also was seen chatting with someone on his phone. The TV host looked deep in thought as he cast his gaze down and pressed his phone to his ear.

Legal representation: Anstead was seen strolling beside a suited up man, who appeared to be his lawyer 

Taking a call: At one point, the TV host engrossed himself in a phone call 

In the latest update in his custody battle with Christina, Ant raised concerns about Hudson’s exposure to reality television and his ex using their child in her social media advertisements.

‘The risks for a child working on a television production set (even if that “set” is Christina’s home) are innumerable and well documented,’ he said in the documents, according to Us Weekly.

‘Putting aside the obvious pressures of working within a TV production environment, children involved in television production often have lingering issues that affect their welfare, worldview, and self-image, leaving them diminished and dependent upon the perceived approval of others for their self-worth.’

Hitting back: In the latest update in his custody battle with Christina, Ant raised concerns about Hudson’s exposure to reality television production and his ex using him in her social media advertisements

‘It is my goal to ensure that Hudson is allowed a childhood that is joyful, healthy, and natural, with as few stresses as possible, and this should be prioritized above creating commercial opportunity and content,’ he added.

Ant alleged in the filing that Christina ‘has already exploited’ Hudson by featuring him in her paid promotional content on her social media channels. 

‘I fear she also has footage of him, to be used in one of her reality TV shows, without my knowledge or consent, and continues to film him despite my objections,’ he said. ‘I do not believe it is in Hudson’s best interests to be exploited as a ‘spokesperson, ambassador’ or as a ‘model’ for any products or social media campaigns.’

Body language: At one point he was seen with his hands crossed behind his back

He also said he would reject requests for their son to appear in ads as he wanted his protect his child’s ability to make that decision for himself.

While Ant and Christina were able to hash out several issues without the assistance of the court, the TV host still takes issue with his son being involved in reality television.

He then raised Kaila Posey, the Toddlers & Tiaras star who died by suicide at age 16 earlier this year.

Happier times: Anstead was married to Christina from 2018 to 2021 and is now dating Renee Zellweger; pictured December 2019 

‘One of my many fears of Hudson being forced to film reality TV is the possibility that public ridicule over seemingly benign content becomes insurmountably humiliating,’ he said. ‘I urge the courts to review the recent and tragic case of Kailia Posey and a defining embarrassing meme.’

In a response obtained by Page Six, Christina, who is now married to Josh Hall, called Anstead’s allegations ‘truly offensive and simply untrue.’

‘I have never exploited our son Hudson. He appeared in a few of my own Instagram ads that each took less than 5 minutes to film. I have all the footage and they were all fun activities that he enjoyed doing, such as playing with toys or making cookies,’ she said in court documents.

She added ‘nothing was forced.’

Parenthood: The exes welcomed their only child together, son Hudson, in 2019 

Christina added both she and Ant have gone to ‘private mediation’ to sort through their issues, and ‘his declaration makes it clear that he is only interested in smearing me publicly.’

When Ant filed for full custody of Hudson in April, he accused Christina of being an unfit mother and claimed she had been negligent when it came to both his and their son Hudson’s medical safety.

Anstead also blasted Christina for being largely absent, only seeing Hudson for ‘9 full days each month’ and using him as nothing more than a social media prop when she does have him. 

Responding to his claims through her legal team at the time, Christina called allegations she put Hudson at risk and was wholly absent in his life ‘false allegations’ that ‘shocked’ her, according to People.