Lisa Armstrong will fight ex Ant McPartlin for 'full custody' of dog Hurley

Lisa Armstrong will fight ex Ant McPartlin for full custody of their dog Hurley – because she needs him by her side. The BBC Strictly Come Dancing make-up artist will fight Ant, who became a dad this week, for full custody of their beloved pooch.

Lisa, 47, needs the reliable familiarity of 10-year-old Hurley after Ant, 48, announced his son Wilder Patrick McPartlin to the world this week. A source has told The Sun: "Lisa is really struggling with the news, she knew it was coming and had geared herself up for it but it still hit hard when she saw it.

"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. She’s really been through it all in the past seven years and sometimes she amazes herself how strong she’s been.

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"But 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." The source explained: "She really had to fight Ant for him, which she still is annoyed about as he got other dogs with Anne-Marie and now she would just like Hurley to live with her full-time."

The source said Lisa is ""very vulnerable at the moment". It's no secret the former couple wanted children of their own, with Ant previously admitting: "Lisa and I would love to have kids. We're trying. It's tougher than you think when you get a bit older. We've been trying for a little while so fingers crossed."

"It is a tragedy. She missed her chance to have a baby and now she has to see Ant flaunting that tattoo on social media. He really didn’t need to do that," a friend told MailOnline. "It feels like he was rubbing her face in it. You have to remember we are talking about a story of great sadness here, she gave Ant everything and at the end of it all, ended up with an empty crib. It’s utterly heartbreaking," the inside source added.