In 1961, Martha Stewart entered into her first and only marriage with Andrew Stewart. The couple remained together for many years until their separation in 1987, followed by an official divorce filing in 1990. During their union, they welcomed a daughter named Alexis Stewart in 1965.
In a 1995 interview with PEOPLE, Martha’s mother, Martha Kostyra, revealed that the contentious divorce left her daughter feeling “badly wounded.” She expressed concern, stating, “I don’t think she’ll ever get over it.”
Martha’s mother expressed deep concern over her daughter’s difficult split in a 1995 interview
Despite the challenges, Martha reflected on her journey in a 2020 interview with PEOPLE, sharing her motivation to move forward. She stated, “Getting divorced was a terrible thing for me, because we were the first to divorce in my family. The fact 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 elaborated, saying, “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.”
After her split from Andrew, Martha dated several people, including actor Anthony Hopkins, but in 2022, she admitted to ending their relationship because she couldn’t stop envisioning him as Hannibal Lecter. Who exactly is Andrew Stewart, Martha Stewart’s ex-husband? Here’s a closer look at his background.
Andrew pursued a legal education and became a publisher. When he crossed paths with Martha, he was a 23-year-old law student at Yale. Before earning his law degree from Yale, Andrew completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia and also holds a master’s degree in law from Columbia University.
He built a career in publishing and currently serves as Publisher Emeritus of Fieldstone Publishing, a company focused on nature publications. The couple first met on a blind date arranged by mutual friends. Martha expressed in a PEOPLE interview that she was drawn to Andrew’s serious demeanor. After dating for a year, they tied the knot in 1961.
Martha and Andrew found joy in renovating homes together. According to PEOPLE in 1995, they dedicated their weekends to restoring a schoolhouse in the Berkshires during the early years of their marriage. Their foray into home renovation began when Andrew purchased a fixer-upper in Westport, Connecticut, in 1971, which they named Turkey Hill Farm—an important site where Martha launched her lifestyle empire.
Together, they welcomed their only child, Alexis, on September 27, 1965. In a 1995 PEOPLE interview, Andrew expressed regrets about their parenting style, admitting, “I think we did a poor job as parents.”
He continued by saying, “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.” Andrew also referred to his estrangement from Alexis as “a source of tremendous pain,” adding, “I think of her every single day, many times.”
Martha and Andrew’s separation occurred after more than 25 years of marriage in 1987. He moved out of their home, reportedly obtaining a court order that prevented Martha from contacting him. Their divorce was finalized in 1990.
Reflecting on their split, Martha later told PEOPLE, “The life that I had is over. And what has taken its place is better.” It wasn’t until the trailer for Martha’s Netflix documentary, Martha, debuted in October 2024, that she admitted to infidelity during their marriage.
In a scene from the documentary, while advising “young women” to leave their husbands if they cheat, a producer questioned her about an affair early in her marriage. Martha acknowledged, “Yeah, but I don’t think Andy ever knew about that.”
During the October 2024 premiere of the documentary, Martha told PEOPLE that she was uncertain whether Andrew had watched it. “I haven’t talked to him for over 20 years. Sadly,” she remarked.
After their divorce in 1990, Andrew married Robyn Fairclough, who was Martha’s former assistant, in May 1993. Fairclough was 21 years younger than Andrew, but their marriage eventually ended in divorce.
Currently, Andrew is married to Shyla Nelson Stewart, whom he wed in 2016, as indicated on Shyla’s Facebook page. She is the president and CEO of Fieldstone Publishing, as well as a writer, environmental advocate, and artist.
According to Andrew’s biography on Fieldstone, he and Shyla split their time between Pasadena, California, and Lake Champlain in Vermont. The couple has five children and three grandchildren, with their youngest grandchild born in November 2023.
