The presenter's long-time friend Simon Hargreaves celebrated Ant's six months of sobriety on social media last week but followers were quick to rally round ex-wife Lisa.
Ant, 42, has taken a step back from the limelight to recover from booze and drug addictions after he was found guilty of drink driving in April.
But last week, Simon revealed the star was in a great place by sharing a beaming snap of the pair, captioned: "Long overdue catch up with my buddy of 20+ years for lunch this week. 6 months sober, annoyingly healthy looking, and happier than I’ve seen him in years.
"Immensely proud of this lad for his strength and determination to face up to his issues and get help."
However, fans were quick to voice their support for his ex Lisa beneath the post, which will likely have been upsetting to see.
One wrote: "His poor wife. Standing by him all that time during his dark period. Why did he need to dump her to move on? Dreadful."
While another added: "Nice comment seeing that Lisa is still struggling to cope…"
A third said: "Shame he had to hurt Lisa in the process."
Yet a number praised Ant for making such a recovery with one saying: "So proud of you Ant! You keep going from strength to strength and it’s a beautiful thing to see."
Another well-wisher said: "Fabulous picture and Ant looks like a new person xxx."
Ant and Lisa parted ways in January, and the make-up artist was left devastated when he moved on with their former PA Anne-Marie Corbett.
The pair are now set for a quickie divorce, with Lisa filing on the grounds of his adultery with his new love after their split.
She is said be relieved to be escaping the "stress and drama" by returning to work on BBC series Strictly Come Dancing.
Meanwhile Ant has pulled out of all working commitments until 2019, after admitting he had "alcohol and emotional issues" following his drink-drive charge.
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