Liv Tyler’s ex David Gardner has announced his engagement, four years after splitting from the Hollywood actress, with whom he shares two children. 

David Beckham’s football agent friend, aged 49, shared a heartfelt post on Instagram on Friday after proposing to Victoria Secret model Jessica Clarke, who is 32.

In a black and white photo, the couple is seen snuggled up in bed, with Jessica, the founder of the wellness brand Mother Made, proudly displaying her large diamond ring.

Gardner, who is Brooklyn Beckham’s godfather, captioned the snap: ‘Guess what? She said “YES” My best friend, I love you so much’.

Fans and celebrities alike hurried to extend their congratulations. Beckham, who is the godfather to Gardener and Tyler’s two daughters, was among the first to send well wishes with heart emojis.

While ex girlfriend Rita Ora gushed: ‘Wait I’m crying’ and Jaime Winstone said: ‘YESSYESYESS loves wins’.

Liv Tyler ‘s ex David Gardner announced his engagement to Victoria Secret mode Jessica Clarke on Friday

Gardener and Tyler, 48, who were also engaged, share two children, Sailor Gene, ten, and Lula Rose, nine (pictured together 2016) 

Gardener and Tyler, 48, who were also engaged, share two children, Sailor Gene, ten, and Lula Rose, nine.

Jessica is also a mother to her 20-year-old son Milo, from her previous marriage to Royston Langdon, while her partner shares an 18-year-old son, Grey, with his former wife Davinia Taylor.

In late 2021 insiders claimed the couple had parted ways earlier in the year after ‘growing apart’ and living separate lives. 

Their relationship was rumored to be on shaky ground when the Lord Of The Rings star went to Los Angeles for eight weeks with their two children, leaving her then-fiancé back at their home in the Cotswolds.

A source informed The Sun at that time: ‘Dave and Liv spent the first lockdown entirely together and are excellent co-parents. However, they have drifted apart, and more often they have been living separate lives.’

‘Both wanted to focus on their careers — her acting and producing, and Dave running his business and working on David’s Inter Miami football project.’

‘They officially parted ways back in March but they’ve kept it quiet so as to minimise the fuss, and ensure their kids were OK.’

The source added that the former couple had come out the other side of their troubles and were good friends and had even holidayed together.

Fans and famous friends rushed to share their congratulations including Beckham, who is godfather to Gardener and Tyler’s two daughters (Beckham and Gardener pictured 2023) 

Following his announcement David took to his Instagram stories with more sweet snaps of the couple 

Everyone was quick to share their delight at the wonderful news

Reports went on to say that Gardner had confided in best pal Beckham – who had been ‘ a rock’ during the difficult time.

It all started at the tender age of 14, when Gardener joined the Manchester United Youth team. 

Even though the signing lasted for just five years, it was to eave a permanent impact on both his professional and love lives.

It was at Manchester United that Dave became close friends with Ryan Giggs and also a young Beckham. 

Gardner and Beckham were both promising sportsmen who spent every evening on the football pitch and quickly became best friends. 

But while Beckham went on to join Giggs as one of the best players of his generation, Gardner struggled to keep up and left the club in his late teens.

His time spent at the club wasn’t wasted though – soon after he left, Dave set up the Elite Sports Agency with Six Alex Ferguson’s son Jason.  

The pair’s contacts meant they soon became two of the biggest football agents in the Premier League. 

After a few years, Dave decided to start up his own company, which is still going strong today.  

Despite the pair no longer training together, Dave’s friendship with Beckham has stayed the test of time and he is one of two old friends the superstar credits with keeping his feet on the ground. 

He is David’s eldest son Brooklyn’s godfather.

In 2014 he was one of the friends the star invited join him on a ‘find yourself’ lads’ holiday to Brazil.

It was his friendship with Ryan Giggs that formed much of his personal life for the last decade though. 

In Gardener’s early twenties, Giggs was dating his sister Emma, who he then dumped for the Hollyoaks actress Davinia Taylor. 

At the time, Gardener was in a long-relationship with model Stacey Cooke and the couple were a permanent fixture on Manchester’s social scene. But the relationship came to an abrupt end after Stacey left him for Giggs.

A heartbroken Gardener and Davinia – who is also heiress to a multi-million pound loo roll empire –  took solace in each other’s company and it ended up being a match well-made as the pair eventually married in 2003. 

Beckham was best man at the £875,000 wedding, while Atomic Kitten singer Jenny Frost was a bridesmaid.

For the next few years, the couple were key components of the famous Notting Hill set – a group of well-known British stars including Sadie Frost, Jude Law, Meg Matthews, Sienna Miller and Rhys Ifans that centered around Kate Moss.

In 2007, Davinia gave birth to their child – a son called Gray – and Kate Moss and David Beckham were named the godparents.

For a while, it seemed that the couple had it all, Dave lavished expensive gifts on his wife and the pair regularly took groups of friends on holiday to Davinia’s father’s yacht in the Mediterranean. 

But gradually, Davinia’s troubles with alcohol and bipolar disorder proved too difficult and cracks started to appear in the relationship – according to reports, he was often left at home looking after the child. 

The pair divorced in 2010, with Dave citing Davinia’s ‘unreasonable behaviour’ as the grounds for the split and he gained custody of their three-year-old son. 

The couple sold their home Supernova Heights for £3 million to the comedian David Walliams.

For a while Dave made very few appearances on the showbiz circuit and was hesitant to return to the dating scene. 

A short-lived romance with Stephanie Dorrance, who was the ex-wife of the heir to the Campbell’s soup business, reportedly ended because he felt she was too flash with her cash. 

Then in early 2013, Dave hit the headlines again after it was revealed that he was enjoying a relationship with the popstar Rita Ora, who was 15 years his junior. 

The pair were spotted on numerous dates and Rita was pictured doing the ‘walk of shame’ early one morning from his London home in the same outfit she had worn the night before. 

But the relationship was once again just a brief spell and Rita moved on to dating Calvin Harris.

He’s dated some of the world’s most beautiful women, is best friends with David Beckham and Kate Moss, and Liv Tyler is mother two his kids… so who is Dave Gardner? 

Dave Gardner has a face that you might well recognise, but probably can’t work out why. 

Since 2001, the eternally youthful football agent has been a permanent fixture in the background of celebrity photos – head down as the paparazzi jostle for pictures of his famous friends.

But despite his low-key public persona, he has had a central position in two of London’s most important social circles for more than a decade; he is David Beckham’s best friend and also a key member of Kate Moss’s Primrose Hill posse.

So who is this man and how did he become one of London’s most-connected men? 

Dave Gardner pictured with a David Beckham and Mazdack Rassi at the launch of Beckham’s Haig whiskey

It all started at the tender age of 14, when Dave joined the Manchester United Youth team. 

Even though the signing lasted for just five years, it was to eave a permanent impact on both his professional and love lives.

It was at Manchester United that Dave became close friends with Ryan Giggs and also a young David Beckham. 

Gardner and Beckham were both promising sportsmen who spent every evening on the football pitch and quickly became best friends. 

But while Beckham went on to join Giggs as one of the best players of his generation, Gardner struggled to keep up and left the club in his late teens.

His time spent at the club wasn’t wasted though – soon after he left, Dave set up the Elite Sports Agency with Six Alex Ferguson’s son Jason, 

Dave with James Corden at a magazine party in 2013

The pair’s contacts meant they soon became two of the biggest football agents in the Premier League. 

After a few years, Dave decided to start up his own company, which is still going strong today.  

Despite the pair no longer training together, Dave’s friendship with Beckham has stayed the test of time and he is one of two old friends the superstar credits with keeping his feet on the ground. 

He is David’s eldest son Brooklyn’s godfather.

In 2014 he was one of the friends the star invited join him on a ‘find yourself’ lads’ holiday to Brazil.

It was his friendship with Ryan Giggs that formed much of his personal life for the last decade though. 

In Dave’s early twenties, Ryan was dating his sister Emma, who he then dumped for the Hollyoaks actress Davinia Taylor. 

Dave Gardner with ex-girlfriend Rita Ora and Harry Styles at a party in February 2013

At the time, Dave was in a long-relationship with model Stacey Cooke and the couple were a permanent fixture on Manchester’s social scene. But the relationship came to an abrupt end after Stacey left him for Ryan.

A heartbroken Dave and Davinia – who is also heiress to a multi-million pound loo roll empire –  took solace in each other’s company and it ended up being a match well-made as the pair eventually married in 2003. 

Beckham was best man at the £875,000 wedding, while Atomic Kitten singer Jenny Frost was a bridesmaid.

For the next few years, the couple were key components of the famous Notting Hill set – a group of well-known British stars including Sadie Frost, Jude Law, Meg Matthews, Sienna Miller and Rhys Ifans that centered around Kate Moss.

In 2007, Davinia gave birth to their child – a son called Gray – and Kate Moss and David Beckham were named the godparents.

For a while, it seemed that the couple had it all, Dave lavished expensive gifts on his wife and the pair regularly took groups of friends on holiday to Davinia’s father’s yacht in the Mediterranean. 

Dave Gardner and Kate Moss- the supermodel introduced him to his girlfriend Liv Tyler

But gradually, Davinia’s troubles with alcohol and bipolar disorder proved too difficult and cracks started to appear in the relationship – according to reports, he was often left at home looking after the child. 

The pair divorced in 2010, with Dave citing Davinia’s ‘unreasonable behaviour’ as the grounds for the split and he gained custody of their three-year-old son. 

The couple sold their home Supernova Heights for £3 million to the comedian David Walliams.

For a while Dave made very few appearances on the showbiz circuit and was hesitant to return to the dating scene. 

A short-lived romance with Stephanie Dorrance, who was the ex-wife of the heir to the Campbell’s soup business, reportedly ended because he felt she was too flash with her cash. 

Then in early 2013, Dave hit the headlines again after it was revealed that he was enjoying a relationship with the popstar Rita Ora, who was 15 years his junior. 

The pair were spotted on numerous dates and Rita was pictured doing the ‘walk of shame’ early one morning from his London home in the same outfit she had worn the night before. 

But the relationship was once again just a brief spell and Rita moved on to her now ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris, while Dave allegedly enjoyed a short dalliance with Kelly Brook.

It was only in mid-July of 2014 that rumours first arose of his romance with Liv Tyler – the Hollywood actress and daughter of Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler. 

Liv is no stranger to the British Isles – her previous husband and father of her first child is Leeds-born Royston Langdon from the band Spacehog.

It has been reported that Kate Moss conspired to set the pair up after becoming convinced they would hit it off.  

A source told The Sun newspaper at the time: ‘This is the real deal. Dave and Liv are madly in love. 

‘They have a child the same age which is ideal. They’re at a similar place in their lives and ready to settle down with the right person.’

The supermodel was right – they were engaged the following year and enjoyed a seven year relationship.

Liv and Dave went on to have two children, Sailor and Lula, and settled in the Cotswolds.