﻿She's the daughter of a rockstar,
but Liv Tyler is an actress who prefers to keep her private life out of the spotlight.
Following her recent split from her fiance of seven years, Dave Gardner, we decided to take a
look back at Liv's love life. From her struggles after her first divorce, being a single mom, and
breaking off her engagement to Dave. Stay tuned because we're going to tell you everything we
know about Liv's journey to finding love and why she doesn't see a marriage in her near future.
Liv Tyler had always remained pretty tight-lipped about her love life. However,
in an interview, the actress gave a rare glimpse into her struggle following her
divorce from her ex-husband, Royston Langdon. While it's not known how Liv and English musician
Royston met, it's possible that they simply crossed paths because of her connection to
the music industry. Liv's father, Steven Tyler, gained fame as the lead singer of the American
band Aerosmith. He gained the reputation of being the "Demon of Screamin'" due to his
high screams and his powerful wide vocal range. With such a famous father, it would make sense for
Liv to have become familiar with the musical side of Hollywood and mingle with fellow artists.
Liv and Royston got married in 2003 when she was about twenty-six years old,
and he was thirty-three. The following year, the couple welcomed their first and
only child together, a son named Milo. Unfortunately, after about five years of
marriage, the couple announced that they would be separating. They officially divorced in 2009.
The couple released a statement insisting they "remain good friends"
and "devoted parents" to their son, Milo. Following their split, Liv admitted that she had
a difficult time over the last few years before their marriage came to an end. A friend close to
the former couple had also claimed the pair had been heading for a break-up "for some time."
Opening up about her separation from Royston, she said that she was forced to take time off
before going back to work. The divorce had taken such a toll on her, and she had to
prioritize being a single mother to her son. The actress took a break from acting for about
two years before turning to work on two films, an indie film titled Super and a
drama/thriller, The Ledge, in 2011. She explained, "I just had a rough
couple of years, having Milo and then getting divorced and trying to rebuild my life again."
She added that it was important for her to put her son's needs first before getting back to work.
Liv shared, "Milo and I have been in such transition – I've been rebuilding
and trying to be patient. And I've just put all of my focus on that.
'Because I can't go to work and be happy unless he's happy and feels secure."
The actress admitted that she was still trying to deal with all the changes in her life,
getting married, becoming a mother, and having an unfortunate divorce.
Liv had to come to terms with the fact that things didn't go the way she had planned.
She explained, "It's been interesting, the way things have unfolded. I'm accepting what
happens in life, and how it affects you, and how things don't always go as you expected them to”
Liv went on to say that it felt like a "loss of the dream" because she felt
like she had spent her whole childhood planning how she was going to do things,
and the way it turned out was "actually very painful but quite liberating at the same time."
She added, "When you have to let go of that ideal and see yourself in an imperfect light."
Following her divorce, Liv moved back to LA, explaining that it was hard for her to
stay in the home that she had shared in New York with her ex-husband.
Liv later shared that she was hesitant about getting into another relationship, sharing that
she was "far too sensitive" for casual dates, adding, "I fall in love once in a blue moon."
However, the actress did fall in love again. This time, it was to sports manager Dave Garnder.
The couple started dating in 2014, and just like in her previous relationship, Liv did her best
to keep their romance out of the spotlight. Things between the two seemed to be heading in
the right direction because they announced their engagement in 2015. That same year,
Liv shared the exciting news that she and Dave would be expecting their first child together.
Liv shared the story of how Dave proposed and admitted that it wasn't as romantic as
people would have thought. At the time, she was pregnant with their first child,
and after stepping out of the shower, Gardner got down on one knee and popped the question.
She gushed, "'It was very sweet; I was very surprised. I had no idea and I didn't look very
attractive. 'I was pregnant, and I was, like, crying and had just come out of the shower,
and I was like unpacking. It wasn't a very glamorous moment.'
The couple welcomed their son, Sailor Gene Gardner, later that year.
They welcomed a second child, a daughter they named Lula Rose Gardner.
Following their engagement, Tyler shared that she was in no rush to get married, even though both of
their children had taken on Dave's last name. This would have also been the second marriage
for Gardner, who had been previously married to Davinia Taylor, whom he divorced in 2010.
In an interview, Tyler explained that her past relationships had taught her a lot. She said,
"I had this philosophy that you should only get married once. But then, of course,
that changes. I definitely believe we have lessons we learn through our relationships."
She shared that partners are meant to "work through and mirror each other," and that
"It's the thing in someone that drives you the most crazy that is maybe a part of yourself."
Four years later, the couple was still engaged with no immediate plans to get
married. Liv admitted, "I love being engaged, but I don't really have a desire to get married."
Adding that she always felt like "marriage should be more of a
reward … for surviving your relationship. I feel everyone's got it backwards."
After she and Garnder started dating, she made a move to his hometown in England so
that they could raise their children there together. While Liv was used to living in
Los Angeles and New York, the move to London was another change she had to adapt to.
She explained, "It's such a different country." It was this big move that made the actress realize
that she and Dave shared many cultural differences that caused them to clash every now and again and
even affected the dynamic of their relationship. Liv shared, "I remember the first time that David
called me his missus. I was like: 'What? Excuse me? I'm not your missus. You have to earn that."
Tyler said there are other parts of British culture difficult to understand,
too, such as the class system, which she described as "really oppressive."
Liv candidly spoke about their relationship in a 2017 interview,
insisting it was the desire to extend their families that helped strengthen their bond.
She explained, "We both wanted to have a family and children and a partnership and love."
Tyler went on to say that they understand that both their jobs are "high stress and
high energy," but the one thing they're both on the same page about is the "family part."
Adding, "which is amazing because I know that's often quite tricky for couples."
The actress also credited Dave for his hands-on approach to parenthood
and willingness to step in as Liv's hugely successful career continued uninterrupted
following her relocation to the United Kingdom. Liv explained that after she moved to England,
she reconnected with an agent, and within a week, she had a job lined up for her,
and it was starting the following week. But Dave was nothing but supportive of Liv,
and he committed to taking care of the kids while she was away working.
She shared, "David was just like, 'I've got this'. He was home every night for dinner and bedtime,
and holding down the fort. He drops the boys at school every single morning, while I'm standing
there at the door in my pajamas, covered in food, with both babies in my arms."
Despite having a home with growing children and busy careers and all the stress that comes along
with it, the actress said that she wouldn't have it any other way. Even when it comes to family
holidays, Tyler wants to make sure they spend as much time together as a family as they can.
She explained, "'We're not the kind of parents that are gonna be like,
'You stay here and go to bed, we're going out.' We always want to do everything together."
Unfortunately, in November of 2021, after seven years together,
the couple shared that they were no longer together and had called off their engagement.
Friends close to the couple claimed that Liv and Dave went their separate ways after
'growing apart' and living separate lives. It was first rumored that Liv and Dave's
relationship had hit a rocky patch after she flew to Los Angeles for eight weeks with their two
children, leaving her fiance behind in England. The friend explained, "'Dave and Liv spent all
of the first lockdown together and are a great team as parents but unfortunately,
they've grown apart and increasingly they've been living separate lives."
They added that both Liv and Dave wanted to focus on their respective careers,
and it became difficult for them to balance their work lives with their responsibilities
as partners and parents to their children. The friend went on to say, "They've kept it
quiet so as to minimize the fuss and ensure their kids were OK.'
Thankfully, Tyler and Gardner have managed to remain amicable friends, put their children first,
and even make plans for holidays together as a family. While it's unfortunate that things
between the pair didn't work out, they've made sure to maintain respect for one another following
their split and take care of their children as a team. Sometimes things don't work out with the
people that we love, but that doesn't mean that there's no hope for the future. We wish Liv and
her family only the best, and who knows, her next love might be right around the corner.