Ant McPartlin’s ex Lisa Armstrong, 49, is ‘happier than ever’ and treated like a ‘princess’ by new actor boyfriend, 34, after playing ‘second fiddle’ in previous relationships

Ant McPartlin’s ex-wife Lisa Armstrong is said to be ‘happier than ever’ with her new actor boyfriend, who treats her like a ‘princess’ after she spent years playing ‘second fiddle’ in past relationships.

The Daily Mail revealed in December that the make-up artist, 49, has fallen head over heels for actor Grant Kilburn, 34, with the pair quietly dating in recent weeks. 

They met after Lisa – who heads the team that puts the glitz and glamour into Strictly Come Dancing – went along to watch Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton perform together in a play at the Theatre Royal in Brighton in early October.

Now, it has been reported that the blossoming romance has left Lisa brimming with confidence, with sources stating that she is finally moving on and enjoying a renewed sense of happiness and energy. 

A source told The Mirror: ‘She’s been so used to being in relationships where she played second fiddle,

‘This time, she’s number one. She’s taking it slow, she doesn’t want to get hurt again – but she’s being treated like a princess and her new man cannot do enough for her. 

‘His life revolves around hers and he adores her – and he tells her so all the time. She’s doing so well with her career, she’s come into her own right and he’s encouraged that.’

Daily Mail has contacted Lisa’s representative for comment.  

It comes after the Daily Mail revealed in December that Grant and Lisa quickly hit it off after being introduced by Stacey and Kevin Clifton following one of their performances.

Stacey and Kevin, who share a two-year-old daughter, are currently starring in the stage production 2:22 A Ghost Story, which has been touring the UK since August 2025, and features Grant as a fellow cast member. 

Sources revealed that after the show, the couple introduced Lisa to Grant, who, at 34, is 15 years Lisa’s junior. 

A source told the Daily Mail: ‘Lisa and Grant have really hit it off – and it’s put the smile back on her face.

‘Their relationship is in its early stages and, at the moment, they are keeping it low key. Lisa went through a painful and very public split with Ant and she doesn’t want to get hurt again but she’s not thinking about that right now.

‘They are just enjoying spending time together. Grant lives in Kent but has been staying with Lisa when he can. They’ve both been very busy – Lisa with Strictly while Grant has been touring the country.

‘At the moment they are taking it one day at a time but it’s great to see her happy again.’

While her show business career has continued to thrive, Lisa has had to endure a series of setbacks and heartbreaks since her acrimonious split in 2018 from Ant, 50, famed for his double act with co-presenter Dec Donnelly.

In 2023, she split from her boyfriend James Green, a Sky electrician, 42, and he moved out of her home. 

In the same year, a fire ripped through the £5million home she bought in Chiswick after her divorce.

And the Daily Mail can reveal that Grant, too, has had to overcome adversity in his life. After graduating from Mountview, one of the UK’s leading drama schools, in 2013, work began to flow in for the ‘confident, outgoing, and athletic’ actor. 

He said: ‘It was a really exciting time. I felt like the world was at my feet and nothing could go wrong.’

But disaster struck in April the following year when Grant, then aged just 23, collapsed on a shopping trip with his brother and was discovered to have had a stroke.

In an interview in 2023, he said: ‘I was convinced I was going to die. I remember lying in hospital – with so much chaos going on around me – and thinking “It’s time to let go and say goodbye”.’

Later that day, Grant had a CT scan that showed two large blood clots at the base of his brain.

He said: ‘I never thought someone fit and healthy in their 20s could have a stroke. I was terrified of what had happened…’

That fear stuck with Grant, and he told how it took him almost a decade to get his life back to where he wanted it to be. 

He said: ‘I became depressed and anxious. It took over my life, especially the panic attacks. Whenever I got a head rush, I was terrified I was about to have another stroke.’

With professional support, Grant was able to better understand what had happened to him and to overcome a lot of the fear.

He has since gone on to help raise awareness for the Stroke Association and has visited prisons, including Belmarsh, Pentonville and Thameside, in an attempt to encourage other men to talk about their mental health challenges and depression.

Friends have told how Lisa herself has battled to overcome dark times after her split from Ant.

The couple’s romance began when they were teenagers, and they had been together for more than 23 years.

Lisa met Ant on a Smash Hits tour in Newcastle in 1994 when she was in a band called Deuce, which performed alongside him and partner Dec, who were reaching new TV and music heights as PJ & Duncan following their stint on Byker Grove. 

They were together for more than 10 years before Ant proposed to Lisa on holiday in Dubai in 2005.

They splashed out £150,000 on a lavish wedding reception at Cliveden House hotel in Buckinghamshire in July 2006 with Dec as Ant’s best man.

During their marriage, Ant and Dec went on to cement their place as Britain’s best-loved TV duo, but along with the good times, it was not all plain sailing.

In 2013, Ant opened up about the couple’s struggles to conceive, telling Radio Times: ‘Lisa and I would love to have kids. We’re trying. It’s tougher than you think when you get a bit older.’

He also told Fabulous Magazine: ‘I think I’m lucky. Lisa works in the industry and understands it. She’s constantly working – sometimes more than me!

‘We would love to have a family, so fingers crossed. If we’re blessed with children, then we’d be over the moon!’

There were more troubles ahead when Ant went into rehab for alcohol and prescription drug addiction in 2017.

Admitting he needed help, he said at the time: ‘I feel like I have let a lot of people down and for that I’m truly sorry.’

He confessed in an interview that he had put Lisa through hell with his mood swings and depression, but praised her for being ‘fantastic’.

Rumours that the couple had split emerged in autumn 2017 after Lisa did not accompany Ant to Australia for I’m A Celeb.

She denied there were problems at the time, pointing out that she had a job and had not been to Australia for years.

But Ant’s representative announced in January 2018 that the couple’s 12-year marriage had come to an end.