Will Ant McPartlin become a father for the first time at the age of 48? As photos show his beaming wife appears several months pregnant after years of trying – why any happy news could ‘upset’ their circle of friends
Ant McPartlin has dreamed of becoming a father for decades.
And now that the star is 48 years old, it looks like his wife Anne-Marie Corbett may be expecting their first child.
The former personal assistant, 46, was seen glowing as she arrived at Heathrow airport yesterday on her way to a New Year’s holiday to Dubai, and appeared to be several months pregnant.
Dressed in a loose black dress and a yellow wool cardigan, she smiled as she pushed her luggage towards the terminal.
Meanwhile, McPartlin beamed as he wished his fellow travelers a Merry Christmas.
Ant McPartlin has dreamed of becoming a father for decades. And now that the star is 48 years old, it looks like his wife Anne-Marie Corbett may be expecting their first child
It would be the final part of the love story for the couple, who came together after meeting while working for McPartlin and his ex-wife.
An onlooker said: ‘He couldn’t stop smiling, he looked like the happiest man in the world.’
It would be the final part of the love story for the couple, who came together after meeting while working for McPartlin and his ex-wife, Lisa Armstrong.
The ITV star credits Mrs Corbett, who has two teenage daughters with her ex-husband, for overcoming his alcohol and prescription drug addiction.
Rumors have been swirling for months that the couple were expecting this – especially after Mrs Corbett decided not to fly to Australia to be by her husband’s side as he presented ITV’s I’m A Celebrity.
Instead, he was there alone while his on-screen partner Declan Donnelly was joined by his wife Ali Astall and their two children, Isla, five, and Jack, one.
However, friends say McPartlin’s ex Mrs Armstrong will be ‘very upset’ if her ex-partner’s happy news is confirmed – as she too was desperate to become a mother. In fact, it is believed that she and McPartlin tried to have a baby for several years and that she was devastated when their marriage ended in 2018, still childless.
For make-up artist Ms Armstrong, who shares a brown Labrador named Hurley with her ex-husband, the fact that Ms Corbett worked for them as a PA before she started dating McPartlin has made things more difficult.
A friend said: ‘Anne-Marie was Lisa’s friend, and she was heavily involved in getting her a job with the McPartlins.
‘Lisa sent Anne-Marie’s children birthday and Christmas presents, she even went on holiday with them, and then, boom, it all changed.’
McPartlin was always open about his desire to become a father.
In 2013 he revealed the couple’s problems, saying: ‘There’s a rumor going around that I’m waiting to have children until Dec finds himself Mrs Right. I like that idea, but I’m afraid it’s not true. Lisa and I really want children. Tried. When you get older, it’s harder than you think.’
McPartlin and Ms Armstrong – a former singer for the now defunct pop band Deuce – married in 2006 in a lavish ceremony at Cliveden House in Berkshire.
They split in September 2018 after he checked into rehab for addiction issues.
A protracted divorce battle ensued, mainly over the TV star’s £60 million fortune.
Mrs Corbett split from her husband Scott Corbett shortly before she started dating McPartlin.
The presenter and Ms Corbett married in 2021. Two years earlier he had described her as a ‘lifesaver’, saying: ‘She has been my rock. She is a beautiful soul. Were very happy. I’m in the best place I’ve been in my life. It is awesome.’