Inside Liv Tyler's Reported Split From Her Fiancé

Liv Tyler is a model, actor, and producer, most well known for her role in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Tyler is the daughter of and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and playboy model Bebe Buell, with whom she shares uncanny physical similarities. In 2014, the actor met sports agent Dave Gardner through their "mutual friend," Kate Moss, who felt that the two would hit it off, per The Sun. They certainly did, announcing their engagement just a year after the meeting. The engagement continued through the births of both their children — Sailor Gene Gardner and Lula Rose Gardner — and the couple always seemed happy and carefree in the public eye.

However, in October of 2020, the Daily Mail reported that the couple appeared to be going through a rough patch, which supposedly worried close friends and family. Tyler reportedly left the family home in Cotswolds, England, for an eight-week trip to Los Angeles, taking the couple's two children with her but leaving her fiancé behind. At the time, a source reassured the news outlet that the couple was still very much together and happy and that the reason Gardner stayed behind was due to the COVID-19 restrictions. 

Fast forward one year, and it turns out that the concerns about the state of the couple's relationship were spot on. Tyler and Gardner are reportedly no longer together, although it took them several months to reveal their breakup to the public.

The Sun reported on November 3 that Liv Tyler and Dave Gardner have split after a seven-year relationship and two children. Although the couple never married, they spent six years of their relationship engaged, and successfully kept their supposed breakup a secret from the public for nearly eight months. A source close to the couple explained the motivations behind their reported split, claiming to the news publication that "they've grown apart and increasingly they've been living separate lives." Ultimately, "both wanted to focus on their careers."

While the couple spent the first coronavirus lockdown together, the source claimed they began drifting apart when normal life resumed. However, they still made sure to remain dedicated parents to Sailor and Lula. The source emphasized that there was no animosity between Tyler and Gardner when they decided to go their separate ways. In fact, it seems they're closer than ever in their co-parenting partnership. This past summer, the whole family vacationed together, the insider told The Sun. 

Fans have wondered if the years-long engagement meant that either Tyler or Gardner was having trouble committing to marriage, especially now that they're officially over. However, the "Stealing Beauty" star told Tatler magazine back in 2019 that she loved "being engaged" but didn't "really have a desire to get married." Perhaps she just didn't have a desire to marry Garner? Either way, it's nice to see the two are still on good terms, as Tyler wished Gardner a happy birthday in September.