Martha Stewart married her first (and only) husband Andrew Stewart in 1961. The couple were together for several years before they separated in 1987 and officially filed for divorce in 1990. While married, they welcomed their daughter, Alexis Stewart, in 1965.
In an interview with PEOPLE in 1995, Martha’s mother, Martha Kostyra, shared that the acrimonious divorce left her daughter “badly wounded.” She shared, “I don’t think she’ll ever get over it.”
While the experience was hard, Martha told PEOPLE in 2020 that she was motivated to move on. “Getting divorced was a terrible thing for me, because we were the first to divorce in my family,” Martha said. “And that we haven’t spoken since the divorce is even more painful. But I’m very strong, and I’m very motivated to get on with life.”
She added, “I have survived the rigors of time, of marriage, of childbearing, of building a business from scratch. I have survived very nicely, and I think I make the most of it.”
Following her split from Andrew, Martha went on to date actor Anthony Hopkins, among others, though she revealed in 2022 that she “broke up with him because I couldn’t stop thinking of him as Hannibal Lecter.”
So who is Martha Stewart’s ex-husband? Here’s everything to know about Andrew Stewart.
He went to law school and is a publisher
When Andrew met Martha, he was a 23-year-old Yale law student. Prior to receiving his law degree from Yale, Andrew graduated from the University of Virginia, per The New York Times. He also has a master’s of law degree from Columbia University.
Andrew went on to have a career in publishing and is currently Publisher Emeritus of Fieldstone Publishing, a nature publishing company.
He met Martha on a blind date
The former couple met when they were set up on a blind date. Martha told PEOPLE that she was attracted to him because he was “extremely serious.” After a year of dating, they married in 1961.
He and Martha enjoyed renovating homes
During their relationship, Martha and Andrew enjoyed revamping old homes. PEOPLE reported in 1995 that early in their marriage, the former couple would spend their weekends “restoring a school-house in the Berkshires.”
According to an interview with CNN, Andrew and Martha dipped their toes into home renovations when Andrew bought a fixer-upper in Westport, Connecticut, in 1971. The couple named the property Turkey Hill Farm, where Martha started her lifestyle empire.
He shares one daughter, Alexis, with Martha
Martha and Andrew welcomed their only child together, daughter Alexis, on Sept. 27, 1965.
During an interview with PEOPLE in 1995, Andrew shared that he had regrets about how he and Martha parented their daughter, saying, “I think we did a poor job as parents.”
Andrew continued, “We were too involved in our professional lives and fixing up the house. We were always making the home into a mythological place. But it wasn’t a home — we didn’t spend enough time with Lexi.”
He also called his estrangement from his daughter “a source of tremendous pain.” He added, “I think of her every single day, many times.”
He and Martha separated in 1987
Over 25 years into their marriage, Martha and Andrew separated in 1987. At the time, he moved out of their home and reportedly obtained a court order forbidding Martha to speak to him. Their divorce was finalized in 1990.
“The life that I had is over,” Martha later told PEOPLE of their split. “And what has taken its place is better.”
It wasn’t until the trailer for Martha’s Netflix documentary, Martha, premiered in October 2024 that she admitted to cheating on Andrew during their marriage.
In one scene, Martha is advising “young women” to leave their marriage if their husband cheats on them when a producer asked, “Didn’t you have an affair early on?”
Martha replied, “Yeah, but I don’t think Andy ever knew about that.”
At the October 2024 premiere for the documentary, Martha told PEOPLE that she had “no idea” if Andrew had seen it or not.
“I haven’t talked to him for over 20 years. Sadly,” she said.
He married Martha’s assistant after their 1990 divorce
Following their separation in 1987 and divorce three years later, Andrew went on to marry Robyn Fairclough in May 1993. Fairclough was Martha’s former assistant and 21 years younger than Andrew.
However, Andrew and Fairclough eventually divorced.
He is currently married to Shyla Nelson Stewart and has 5 kids
Andrew married his current wife Shyla Nelson Stewart in 2016 (according to Shyla’s Facebook). Shyla is the president and CEO of Fieldstone Publishing as well as a “writer, environmental advocate, and artist.”
Andrew’s Fieldstone biography notes that he and Shyla live between Pasadena, Calif., and Lake Champlain in Vermont. The couple also have five children and three grandchildren. Their youngest grandchild was born in November 2023.
In October 2024, Shyla came to Andrew’s defense after a trailer for Netflix’s Martha was released. The teaser saw Martha call Andrew “a piece of s—” for cheating on her.
“[Andrew is] one of the gentlest, most soft-spoken, kind-hearted men I’ve ever known,” Shyla wrote on Facebook. “Andy and I have built a life of beauty, meaning, productivity, and purpose, infused with true love.”
She continued, “Prior to this happy chapter of his life, Andy had some dark ones, including a painful and abusive marriage to Martha, which ended almost 40 years ago. We both wish everyone, including Martha herself, the experience of loving and being loved deeply and fully, and the peace that comes from such a love.”
Source: People
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