Lisa Armstrong makes rare TV appearance as Ant McPartlin prepares for return to the jungle

Lisa Armstrong has worked as part of the hair and make-up team that she now leads on Strictly Come Dancing for 17 years and on Wednesday she appeared on spin-off show It Takes Two to discuss all things glam

Ant McPartlin's ex-wife Lisa Armstrong dazzled as a surprise guest on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing It Takes Two spin-off.

The 48-year-old make-up expert is head of make-up and hair on the hit BBC show - helping to transform the stars and celebrities on the dance-floor week after week with her glam skills. But on Wednesday night, it was Lisa's turn to be dusted with blusher and groomed for the screen as she was a guest on the spin-off companion series It Takes Two.

Appearing on the show, Lisa dazzled as she took to the sofa in a shimmering black sequin jumpsuit while she sat down for a chat with host Janette Manrara. While on the show, the cosmetics connoisseur discussed her favourite beauty looks from the series so far.

Reflecting on the 2024 season so far, Lisa - who has worked on Strictly for an astonishing 17 years - picked out Movie Week as a fun episode to help create. In particular, she gushed over the transformation of opera singer Wynne Evans - who is paired with professional dancer Katya Jones - into the film character Mrs Doubtfire.

Fighting through laughter, Lisa said: "I have to say, Wynne was one of my favourites from when he was [dressed as] Mrs. Doubtfire. He looked so good! He just took on the character, and that’s what I love." She continued: "You know we will have a normal weeks where it is just normal, glam makeup, but then to actually bring that character to life, with the hair and makeup, and they really become the part - it was exactly like the time we had Halloween and the Joker with Pete [Wicks] and Jowita [Przystał]. He really took that character on board."

After her rare stint in front of the camera, make-up guru Lisa took to Instagram to show off her impressive on-screen look by sharing a selfie on her Stories. She wrote alongside the snap: "Thank-you for having me @bbcstrictly #ItTakes2 and thanks for the glam @sburrowsmakeup."

It has been six years since Lisa's heart was broken when her marriage to TV star Ant McPartlin collapsed after 18 years - and after she stood by him after his career was rocked by a shock addiction confession. Their high-profile £31million divorce battle, saw the former lovers clash over their desire to each keep custody of their dog, with Ant reportedly telling lawyers: "She can have anything she wants – except the dog."

This week, Strictly has been rocked by revelations that a string of professional dancers are to quit the show - or be dumped from it - after the conclusion of the current season. Dancer Johannes Radebe is expected to quit the show to focus on other projects - with a source claiming on Wednesday: "Johannes is hugely loved on the show and there isn’t an atom of bad feeling about him leaving. Both he and the show’s bosses realise he is overwhelmed with work as a result of his soaring popularity and wish him all the best. But nobody can ever get so big that they continually take up too much limelight - the star of the show must always be the show itself."

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