Ant McPartlin is reportedly set to offer his wife Lisa Armstrong a record-breaking £31 million divorce payout.
In Britain’s priciest celebrity divorce settlement, the 42-year-old telly host is set to part with half his fortune in order to divorce his wife of 11 years.
A source said told The Sun, “It’s a huge amount but he wants Lisa to be financially and emotionally supported.”
“He wants things to be amicable and doesn’t want a drawn out court battle with Lisa. He still views her as a best friend and wants them both to be able to walk away from the marriage positively.”
“He is happy to give Lisa 50 per cent in the divorce if that is what is agreed by their lawyers.”
Meanwhile, a source close to Lisa said, “She is not motivated by money and doesn’t want a fight. But this was a real shock to her so she’s not going to rush things either.”
The news comes after Ant revealed his plans to divorce Lisa in The Sun on Sunday.
The I’m A Celeb host wants to divorce for health reasons, after he previously admitted that he was addicted to drugs and suffering from depression.
According to reports, Ant earned £39,000 a day last year through his TV work with his long-time co-host Declan Donnelly, while Lisa reportedly earns a six-figure sum annually as a make-up artist.
Ant and Dec have amassed their fortune through a number of telly gigs over the years, including I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here and Britain’s Got Talent.
Their production firm Mitre Television, which makes their show Saturday Night Takeaway, also owns all the archives from their hit kids programmes Byker Grove and SM:TV.
The pair also co-own Hurley Promotions, and Ant’s firm Teecourt Limited had £12million in the bank, according to documents which were filed last week.
They also have a joint property empire, which is believed to be worth around £10million.
Last year, Ant and Dec signed a deal with ITV until 2019, worth a reported £30million.
Ant and Lisa own a £6million home in West London, but they have been living separately over the past few months. They also own a holiday home in Portugal.
A source said, “This was a tough decision for Ant, but he has to do the right thing for his health.”
