It's no secret that we all love our beloved pets and for celebrities this is no exception.

But things can get tricky when a couple separates and exes have to decide who gets to keep their furry friend.

ITV presenter Ant McPartlin and Lisa Armstrong's bitter divorce brought up this exact problem as they are now battling for custody of their chocolate Labrador, Hurley.

The pair agreed to share the dog after their marriage collapsed five years ago. But The Mail on Sunday recently revealed that the arrangement is now being disputed, with Lisa telling her ex-husband she wants Hurley to live with her full-time.

But they aren't the only ones to face this conundrum, with former couples including Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart and Johnny Depp and Amber Heard finding themselves in the same position. 

Here MailOnline takes a look at the most famous celebrity pet custody battles:  

Their bitter divorce dominated headlines and resulted in a multi-million pound payout three years ago.

But it seems Ant and Lisa's acrimonious split is not yet over, as they are battling for custody of their chocolate labrador, Hurley.

The pair agreed to share the dog after their marriage collapsed five years ago. 

But The Mail on Sunday recently revealed that the arrangement is now being disputed, with Ms Armstrong telling her ex-husband she wants Hurley to live with her full-time.

McPartlin, 47, now lives with his new wife – and former personal assistant – Anne-Marie Corbett, and has added two maltipoos (Maltese and poodle crossbreeds), called Milo and Bumble, to his family.

The fact he has two dogs of his own has prompted Ms Armstrong, 46, to request Hurley lives with her permanently. It is understood the Saturday Night Takeaway star is refusing to give up shared custody.

Currently, the dog spends half the time living at McPartlin's £6 million mansion in Wimbledon, South-West London, and the other half at Ms Armstrong's West London home, with the TV presenter's chauffeur reportedly doing the handover so the exes don't have to see each other.

A source close to McPartlin said: 'Lisa has asked to have Hurley but Ant is saying no. He has two more dogs now, a new wife and two stepdaughters, but still he wants joint custody. It has led to some difficult conversations between Ant and Lisa. 

'It's all very sad. Ant has been able to move on, get remarried and get two more dogs. Lisa has been left to pick up the pieces.'

Hurley was adopted by the couple in 2013 while they struggled to conceive a child.

During their divorce battle, Ant is said to have told lawyers: 'She can have anything she wants – except the dog.' 

And in an interview at the time he said: 'There's a loyalty and a love and a companionship with Hurley that you can't describe. We still share quite evenly. Hurley's welfare comes first and we both love him very much.'

Meanwhile Lisa is said to refer to Hurley as her 'baby boy'.

Ms Armstrong and McPartlin met at a concert in the mid-1990s, when McPartlin was performing with his on-screen partner Declan Donnelly as PJ & Duncan.

But in 2018 McPartlin ended their marriage, shortly after he went to rehab for addiction issues. Ms Armstrong had stood by his side and supported him throughout his troubles. A few months later, he crashed his car head-on into another vehicle in Richmond, South-West London, while over the drink-drive limit.

It later emerged that McPartlin was in a relationship with Ms Corbett, now 46, who had been employed by the married couple as their personal assistant.

In their acrimonious divorce, it was reported that Ms Armstrong was given millions although sources say that figure was 'much inflated'. Make-up artist Ms Armstrong, who works on Strictly Come Dancing, is now in a relationship with artist James Green.

When Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart split in July 2012 their rescue dog called Bear, found himself at the centre of a bitter custody dispute.

Kristen, who was 22 at the time, also has a cat, Max, who she kept but Robert wanted Bear – the mixed breed rescue they adopted from a high-kill shelter in New Orleans.

But Kristen wouldn't give up Bear easily as the California girl nursed the pup through his battle with the potentially fatal disease Parvo.

She also spent a lot of time with the dog and had flown him around the country with her.

'After Rob moved his things out of their Los Angeles apartment, he then told Kristen he wanted Bear,' an insider told RadarOnline.com at the time. 

'She was heartbroken – they adopted Bear together and she always felt that he was their little baby.

'But Rob was so hurt by Kristen's actions he decided that he wants the dog to help him get over what happened. After all, a dog is a man's best friend and Bear is such a good companion.

'However, Kristen won't give up Bear in a hurry. She helped Rob save Bear from Parvo disease, which nearly took its life when it was a puppy.

'She wants joint custody – and it could get a little messy,' the source revealed at the time.

According to the mole, the couple were planning to get another dog just before the revelation of Kristen's fling broke.

'Robert and Kristen were looking into the possibility of adopting another dog. They were desperate for a play pal for Bear and scoured petfinder.com, as well as a few high-kill shelters in Los Angeles. But it seems that's out of the question now,' the insider said at the time.

The pair were not on speaking terms and were living apart following the publication of photos that show Kristen getting close to Snow and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders amid their split. 

It would appear that Kristen eventually won as she was subsequently seen on solo outings with the hound.  

Amber and Johnny had a famously bitter divorce in 2016 and again their dogs became a point of contention during the proceedings.

Eventually Amber got to keep their beloved terriers after being granted custody of the pets.

The dogs, Pistol and Boo, were famously in news when Ms Heard flew them into Australia on a private jet without putting them through quarantine in 2015, leading to her being prosecuted and fined.

Pistol was said to be a gift to Ms Heard from her former girlfriend, artist Tasya van Ree, while Boo originally belonged to Depp. 

He was believed to have wanted to keep custody of the pair at the time, saying the dogs should not be split up.

According to the 2016 divorce settlement finalised in Los Angeles, Depp, star of the Pirates Of The Caribbean films, gave Ms Heard $7 million (£5.6 million), which she has said she would give to two charities, the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and the American Civil Liberties Union. 

Ms Heard, a keen rider, will also held on to her horse Arrow.

Meanwhile, Depp keep his vast collection of vintage cars, motorcycles, boats and golf carts. 

And as well as properties in Hollywood and Paris, he also held on to his 45-acre private island in the Bahamas, bought for a reported £2.5 million in 2004.

Ms Heard and Depp married in 2015 but broke up a year later after allegations by Heard that he had been physically abusive. 

Jennifer and Justin were dog lovers.

During their seven year romance the Friends actress and the The Leftovers actor added several pooches to their family.

But when the actors separated after two years of marriage in 2018, they had to decide who got custody of the furry friends which included Dolly, Sophie, Clyde and a pit bull that Theroux had been seen with in NYC.

Jennifer had her white shepherd mix Dolly since around 2005, which was long before she started dating the actor, who she first romanced on the set of 2012's Wanderlust.

The Cake star has always been a fan of white German shepherds; 'I thought they were beautiful and a great guard dog,' she told Oprah in 2006.

In 2012 she and Justin together adopted pit bull mix Sophie from a shelter when she was just a puppy.

'She's the most adorable little cookie you've ever seen,' the actor has said. 'She looks like she just smoked an exploding cigar.'

In April 2018 he shared a photo where he was hugging the animal. 'Sophie is a lover not a fighter. Please join @ASPCA to #GetTough on dog fighting. Fought dogs live in isolation, spending most of their lives on short, heavy chains. No animal should be forced to fight to the death.'

He had also been seen walking another pit bull, a grey one, in NYC at that time. The name of the dog is not known.

They also have Clyde. 'Clyde, the little one, always sleeps at my feet,' Jennifer told Self magazine in 2015.

Jennifer was seen with three of the dogs during a Smartwater Instagram in 2017.

Her beloved pooch Norman, a Welsh corgi-terrier mix, died in 2011 and prompted the star to tattoo his name on the inside of her right foot.

The decision to go their separate ways 'was mutual and lovingly made at the end of last year', according to a statement released on Thursday through Jennifer's publicist.

Jennifer became engaged to Justin in August 2012, and they married in a surprise ceremony at their LA home on August 5, 2015.

In March 2018 it was reported that they had reached an agreement over the custody of the dogs. 

They reportedly agreed to shared custody. 

Jennifer was thought to have kept Dolly, terrier Clyde and  pit bull mix Sophie with her in LA, while Justin lived in New York with the couple's other pit bull. 

Tiger and Elin shared three dogs together but had to decide what to do with them when they got divorced. 

Nordegren took possession of three of the couple's dogs after Woods' November 2009 car accident exposed to the world his infidelity. 

During their divorce proceedings, Woods and Nordegren each fought for custody of the dogs but she won.

Nordegren and Woods split in 2009 following revelations about his extramarital affairs. 

Nordegren received a $100 million payout, and the former couple now share joint custody of their children, Sam, 13, and Charlie, 11.