Ant McPartlin’s estranged wife Lisa Armstrong could make £155 million from their divorce, according to reports she has been advised to go after her presenter partner’s future earnings.
It was previously said that Ant, 42, was willing to pay Lisa, 41, half of his £62million fortune to end their marriage amicably.
Yet The Sun reports that The Strictly Come Dancing make-up artist is said to have been told to follow in the footsteps of Karen Parlour, the ex-wife of Arsenal star Ray Parlour, who was awarded a third of the footballer’s future earnings when they divorced in 2004.
Costly: Lisa Armstrong, 41, is reportedly set to make millions as she has been advised to go after husband Ant McPartlin’s future earnings during their divorce settlement
An insider told The Sun On Sunday: ‘[Lisa] is not motivated by money and she has been focusing on getting through the devastating end of her marriage in one piece.
‘But she has a very strong legal team behind her. Their argument is Lisa has been pivotal to Ant achieving his fortune so she deserves to see some of his future earnings.’
Ant and Lisa spent 23 years together, 11 of which they married, before announcing their decision to divorce earlier this month.
MailOnline has contacted Lisa and Ant’s representatives for comment.
Change of plans: It was previously said that Ant, 42, was willing to pay Lisa, 41, half of his £62million fortune to end their marriage amicably
Historical: The Strictly Come Dancing make-up artist is said to have been told to follow in the footsteps of Karen Parlour, the ex-wife of Arsenal star Ray Parlour, who was awarded a third of the footballer’s future earnings when they divorced in 2004 (pictured at their 1998 wedding)
Downcast: Ant was seen looking sombre as he left the Britain’s Got Talent auditions in London on Saturday as reports of the divorce settlement were brought to light
The case would be reminiscent of the ex-wife of Premiership footballer Ray Parlour, who won an appeal to claim more than a third of his future income after standing by him through fame and fortune.
Three judges had been asked to rule that, in principle, the post-divorce income of a high-earning spouse should be split 50-50 in the same way as other matrimonial assets to reflect the vital input of the other partner to the marriage.
The award was in addition to two mortgage-free houses worth more than £1 million and a £250,000 lump sum, plus the £12,500 a year Parlour was paying for each of the children.
Whilst Parlour was nearing the end of his professional career at the time of the settlement, Ant appears to be at the top of his game.
Glum figure: The Geordie native dressed down in a simple navy coat and grey baker boy hat as he left the studios
Long night? The presenter looked a tad weary as he headed home in the back of a taxi
Ant made history on Tuesday when he scooped the Best Presenter prize with Declan Donnelly for the 17th time in a row at the National Television Awards.
He has found fame as part of the double act, with the pair hosting ITV’s Saturday Night Takeaway and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
In 2007 Ant and Dec signed a deal with ITV that was rumored to be worth around £40 million that meant they would present exclusively on ITV – they recently renewed this deal for an estimated £30 million which sees the pair cemented with the channel until 2019.
Cosmopolitan claimed that for their one-month stint on I’m A Celeb, Ant and Dec receive £2.5 million each, with the pair earning £79,000 as a per day in 2016.
As well as their work on TV, the duo are both property investors too – reportedly owning properties worth around £10 million combined.
Ant moved out of his marital home in November, and has been residing in another London residence since then.
The pair own their own production company Mitre, and Dec owns his own company called Deecour, and they also own Hurley Promotions together which handles their finances.
It is also reported that Ant and Dec are each insured against the other’s death for £1 million.
The claims come after Lisa ‘liked’ a Twitter post claiming her estranged husband Ant is ‘hiding someone’ – amid speculation of a romance between him and Scarlett Moffatt.
The make-up artist, 42, favourited a cryptic tweet from a fan on Friday who claimed: ‘I think Ant is hiding something or someone, so sorry honey’.
It comes as Ant – who announced his split from Lisa after 11 years of marriage two weeks ago – was seen looking close with Gogglebox star Scarlett at the National Television Awards, sparking rumours of a budding relationship.
On Friday morning, a fan tweeted Lisa saying: ‘after 2 years coming off prescribed pain meds my hubby took the back lash, the moaning, the mood swings, the full crap but 18yrs of marriage,loyalty and LOVE& were still together, I think Ant is hiding something or someone so sorry huni ‘.
Lisa ‘liked’ the tweet, which no doubt struck a chord with her due to Ant’s previous struggles with painkiller addiction – for which he was treated last summer in rehab.
The Strictly Come Dancing make-up artist then ‘liked’ another post from a fan, who praised her for being ‘loyal’ to Ant.
The user wrote: ‘Hi Lisa, sending you love and sincere good wishes. We fell out when I criticised Ant.
‘But got to say I was probably right but you was loyal. Be strong darling. Me and my girls are wishing you well. Lisa’s got our 100% backing.xxxxxxxx’.
MailOnline has contacted representatives for Ant and Lisa for comment.
It comes after she favourited a tweet from a fan that read: ‘Your unconditional love & support made A who he is’ – shortly before re-posting a fiery message stating: ‘Get up and get your s**t together’.
Suggesting that Ant will have regrets over their split, the tweet continued: ‘Easy to think you don’t want UNTIL you don’t have.. Never Be Another You’.
Interesting: The claims come after Lisa ‘liked’ a Twitter post claiming her estranged husband Ant is ‘hiding someone’ – amid speculation of a romance between him and Scarlett Moffatt
Hmm: The make-up artist, 42, favourited a cryptic tweet from a fan on Friday who claimed: ‘I think Ant is hiding something or someone, so sorry honey’
Supportive: The Strictly Come Dancing make-up artist then ‘liked’ another post from a fan, who praised her for being ‘loyal’ to Ant
Hint? She previously shared a motivational quote describing people as either ‘puddles’ or ‘oceans’ and explained she would ‘get her s**t together’
The tweet accompanied a picture of a quote that read: ‘I’m not like other girls. That’s where you made your first mistake.’
It comes after fans took to Twitter to speculate on Ant’s friendship with Scarlettas the pair sat together with Declan Donnelly during the NTA’s.
While he celebrated his three gong win, viewers couldn’t help but predict a blossoming romance between the 42-year-old TV presenter and the Gogglebox star.
Sharing their hopes that Ant and Scarlett could become more than friends on social media, fans wrote during the NTAs that the two would be a ‘cute couple’.
Love predictions: It comes after fans took to Twitter to reveal they want Ant McPartlin, 42, to strike up a romance with Scarlett Moffatt, 27, as the pair sat together with Declan Donnelly (middle) during the National Television Awards on Tuesday
Close friends: The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award went to the duo for their work on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, which Scarlett Moffatt works on regularly, so the Gogglebox beauty went up to the stage with the duo to collect the award
Hopes for love: Fans linked the Saturday Night Takeaway presenter with the former jungle queen after they sat together at the NTAs
One penned: ‘Don’t know why but I’m getting #scarlettmoffatt #antmcpartlin vibes @ScarlettMoffatt @antanddec both lovely people so why not…! Just saying is all…!’
While another added: ‘Here’s a suggestion. Ant Mcpartlin and Scarlett Moffat should get together. What a beautiful couple.’ Another fan wrote: ‘Ant and Scarlett McPartlin. Let’s not rule it out. #NTAs’
MailOnline had contacted Scarlett’s representative for comment at the time. Ant’s spokesperson denied the claims.
Over: Ant and Lisa announced their plans to divorce after 11 years of marriage on January 13, with Ant’s spokesman confirming the news to MailOnline
The embattled TV presenter has been through a difficult 12 months after being rehabilitated for drug addiction following a painful knee injury and later splitting from his wife Lisa Armstrong which he announced earlier this month.
He spoke to The Sun at the NTAs after growing emotional on-stage when he and his best friend Ant dominated the annual awards ceremony, after sweeping the board with three gongs, including Best Presenter for the 17th year running.
Speaking to the publication, Ant, who has remained relatively silent on his woes, confessed to his struggles just days after his divorce announcement.
Earlier in the evening, on receiving the award, Ant broke down in tears as he made his way to the stage and insisted that the prize had ‘meant a lot’ following a ‘tough year’.
On-stage he said: ‘I’m emotional, very emotional. Because of the last 12 months what I’ve been through, winning this award is particularly emotional for me.’
Great achievement: Earlier in the evening, on receiving the award, Ant broke down in tears as he made his way to the stage and insisted that the prize had ‘meant a lot’ following a ‘tough year’