The messy split between Ant McPartlin and his ex-wife Lisa Armstrong is threatening to blow up again as the pair prepare to battle for the custody of their beloved Labrador Hurley, in the weeks after Ant celebrated the birth of his first son.

The Saturday Night Takeaway star, who is taking parental leave in the wake of welcoming his first child with wife Anne-Marie Corbett, is prepared to fight for his hound after Lisa posted a photo of the dog on her Instagram along with the caption: “Mama’s baby boy”.

Ant and Lisa split in 2018 after 18 years of marriage and he went on to marry his former personal assistant, Anne-Marie, in 2021. The Britain’s Got Talent host, famed for his TV partnership with Declan Donnelly, announced the arrival of son Wilder Patrick McPartlin, but the happy news has reportedly hit Lisa hard, after they remained childless during their marriage.

Ant McPartlin has welcomed his first child with wife Anne-Marie

Ant shared his news on Instagram with a snap of him holding his baby boy on Tuesday, along with the caption: “Born, 14/05/24 at 8.54am. Baby is beautiful, Mummy’s a legend, Sisters are over the moon. Dad’s a mess!” The chocolate Labrador of Ant and Lisa’s relationship features often on her social media but during their £31 million divorce battle, Ant has reportedly refused to give Lisa full custody of the dog, with MailOnline reporting that he told lawyers: “She can have anything she wants – except the dog.”

Fans of the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! host have raised an eyebrow at Ant’s new ‘family tree’ tattoo, which is emblazoned on his left shoulder, as there is no room for Hurley but it does mention Milo and Bumble, the Maltese-poodle cross dogs he shares with Anne-Marie. The tattoo, which he revealed in the wake of the birth of his son, features names of his son, step-children Poppy and Daisy as well as wife Anne-Marie, affectionately named ‘Amzie’ on his inking.

A source has told The Sun that Lisa felt “betrayed” by Ant’s announcement of the birth and that has strengthened her resolve to keep Hurley. They said: “She felt very betrayed by both Ant and Anne-Marie and felt that none of this has been handled sensitively, especially the announcement of the baby. The one thing that has got her through it and been by her side constantly is Hurley – she doesn’t know what she would do without him. He’s more than just a dog to her and has been a lifeline at times.”