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David Gardner To Be Married to Jessica Clarke
Four years after his separation from Liv Tyler, Dave Gardner has decided to get married again.
On Instagram, the father of two, who is related to the footballer David Beckham, and the latter’s close circle, shared the beautiful news with his followers. A love picture taken in black and white, where he holds his fiancée Jessica Clarke, 32, close to him in bed, was the image he shared. The model of Victoria’s Secret and the founder of the wellness brand showed off her spectacular diamond ring in the intimate photo.
A Star-Studed Celebration
After Brooklyn Beckham’s godfather Gardner shared the engagement photo he wrote: “Guess what? She replied with a ‘YES’. My best friend, I love you to bits so much.”
Not long after, the message was jam-packed with well-wishes from the public and stars. David Beckham, father of Gardner and godfather of Liv Tyler’s two daughters, who sent love with a series of heart emojis, was the first to do so.
At the same time, ex-girlfriend Rita Ora reacted with, “Wait, I’m crying,” and actress Jaime Winstone gave her support saying, “YESSYESYESS love wins.”
Past Relationships
Gardner and Tyler, 48, have been in a relationship over two times, and they also have two children together: Sailor Gene, 10, and Lula Rose, 9. Tyler is a mother to Milo, 20, from her marriage to musician Royston Langdon, whereas Gardner has a son Grey, 18, with ex-wife Davinia Taylor.
By late 2021, the information was leaked by insiders that Gardner and Tyler, were no longer together as they had separated in the beginning of the year after “growing apart” and leading separate lives. The first whispers about their breaking up appeared when the Lord of the Rings actor decided to spend eight weeks in Los Angeles with their children, leaving her fiancé at their Cotswolds home.
Quiet Split, Lasting Friendship
A source at that time told The Sun: “Dave and Liv spent the whole first lockdown together and are great as co-parents but unfortunately, they’ve gone different ways and in fact, they have been living separate lives for a while.”
The insider further explained that they both needed to give their careers the most attention — Tyler for acting and producing, and Gardner to his various businesses, amongst which includes David Beckham’s Inter Miami football project.
“In fact, they separated in March but stayed low-key to avoid the hassle and to ensure their kids were not affected,” explained the source, adding that the exes have since remained friends and even taken trips together after their split.
Beckham as a Lifelong Support
After the event, it was reported that Gardner leaned on his best friend David Beckham a lot during their separation and the football legend was described as “a rock” when the ordeal happened.
Gardner’s association with Beckham dates back to when he became a part of the Manchester United Youth team at 14. The signing, although only for five years, changed both his professional and personal life profoundly. It was at that club where Dave made the most profound and longest-lasting relationships with other players, among them Ryan Giggs and a young Beckham – friendship which still has an effect on his future.
From Football Dreams to Sports Agent Success
Gardner and Beckham were once a couple of bright young players who were almost on the pitch every evening for their practice sessions and soon became two peas in a pod. While Ryan Giggs and Beckham went on to become two of the best players of their generation, Gardner struggled to keep up with the pace and left Manchester United in his late teens.
Nevertheless, the time he spent at the club was still a “green light” to a new road. Shortly after, Gardner and Sir Alex Ferguson’s son Jason launched Elite Sports Agency, using their network to turn quickly into the Premier League’s two most outstanding agents.
After that, Gardner went independent and established his own agency, a company that is still flourishing.
Lifelong Friendships
While Gardner and Beckham both decided to do their own thing later on, the friendship between the two guys remained strong. Beckham has repeatedly said that he owes Gardner a lot — he is one of only two longtime friends closest to him — for being with him all the time and sharing his reality. In 2014, Gardner was also one of the few people the soccer star invited on a “find yourself” trip to Brazil for a weekend away with the lads.
However, it was the friendship of Gardner and Ryan Giggs that affected the most of his personal life in the past 10 years.
Complicated Ties
When Gardner was just a little over 20 years, his closest friend Ryan Giggs was seeing Emma, his sister, afterwards separating from her to start a relationship with Hollyoaks actress Davinia Taylor.Gardner, actually, had been quite a while with the model Stacey Cooke and both of them were frequently spotted in the nightlife scene of Manchester However, their love story was shattered when Stacey decided to leave him and go out with Giggs — a twist that made the friends’ relationship more complicated.
From Heartbreak to High Society
After their respective breakups, a heartbroken Gardner and Davinia Taylor — heiress to a multi-billion-pound toilet paper fortune — went on to find solace in each other’s company. The bond deepened and they tied the knot in 2003.
The celebrities’ £875,000 spectacular wedding had David Beckham as the best man, and Atomic Kitten’s Jenny Frost was a bridesmaid.
A turnaround in the lives of the pair led them to London’s scene of the chic Notting Hill set where they were regulars for several years and were seen rubbing shoulders with the likes of Sadie Frost, Jude Law, Meg Matthews, Sienna Miller, Rhys Ifans, and the group’s central figure, Kate Moss.
Family Life and Growing Struggles
Gardner and Davinia became parents in 2007 to their son, Gray. They chose close friends Kate Moss and David Beckham to be his godparents.
On the surface, the couple seemed to be unhindered — Gardner used to shower Davinia with expensive gifts, and they would often take groups of friends off on a holiday aboard her father’s yacht in the Mediterranean.
Unfortunately, their marriage was going through increasing difficulties under the sparkle. Davinia’s alleged health issues with drinking and bipolar disorder reportedly had an impact on her and also the relationship became more fragile over time. In addition to that, it is also stated that Gardner was frequently left doingshouldering the child’s care while the couple were having disagreements.
Divorce and Life After Davinia
In 2010, Gardner and Davinia went their separate ways. He set her “unreasonable behavior” as a reason for the separation. He was made the full-time parent of their son, Gray, who was then three years old.
They no longer own their spectacular house, Supernova Heights, in which the former couple parted ways for £3 million to David Walliams, a comedian. After the break-up, Gardner stayed out of the limelight for a while and was a bit hesitant about jumping back into the dating world.
The actor later with non-permanent passion saw the life with the beautiful Stephanie Dorrance, the ex-wife of the heir to the Campbell’s soup fortune, but according to the news of their split, the main reason was Gardner felt that she was too flashy with her money.
A Short Time with Pop Star Rita Ora
In the beginning of 2013, Gardner was in the limelight briefly for a love affair with the singer Rita Ora which lasted for a short time. They were noticed together on several occasions and it was quite a while after one of their dates that a photographer found Rita walking out of Paul’s place in London. The affair ended without much public knowledge, and Rita got back to DJ Calvin Harris in no time.
