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Dave Gardner has a face that you may recognize, but probably can’t figure out why.
Since 2001, the perennially youthful football agent has been a fixture in the background of celebrity photos – head down as the paparazzi jostle for photos of his celebrity friends.
But despite his low-key public personality, the 38-year-old has held a central position in two of London’s most important social circles for over a decade; he is David Beckham’s best friend and also a key member of Kate Moss’ group Primrose Hill.
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 whisky
It all started at the tender age of 14 when Dave joined the Manchester United Youth team.
Although the signing lasted only five years, it would have a lasting 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 athletes who spent every evening on the football field and quickly became best friends.
But while Beckham joined Giggs as one of the best players of his generation, Gardner struggled to keep up and left the club in his late teens.
However, his time at the club was not wasted – shortly after he left, Dave founded 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 quickly made them two of the premier football agents in the Premier League.
After a few years, Dave decided to start his own business, which is still going strong today.
Despite the pair no longer training together, Dave’s friendship with Beckham has stood the test of time and is one of two longtime friends the superstar credits with keeping his feet on the ground.
He is the godfather of David’s eldest son Brooklyn.
In 2014, he was one of the friends who invited the star to join him on a “find yourself” boys’ vacation to Brazil.
However, it was his friendship with Ryan Giggs that has been a big part of his personal life over the past decade.
When Dave was in his early twenties, Ryan was in a relationship with his sister Emma, who he then dumped for 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 fixture on the Manchester 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 multimillion-pound empire – sought comfort in each other’s company and became a close match when the couple finally married in 2003.
Beckham witnessed the £875,000 wedding, while Atomic Kitten singer Jenny Frost was a bridesmaid.
For the next few years, the pair were the main 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 named Gray – and Kate Moss and David Beckham were named the godparents.
For a while it seemed the couple had it all, Dave gave expensive gifts to his wife and the couple regularly took groups of friends on vacation 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 problems with alcohol and bipolar disorder became too difficult and cracks began to appear in the relationship – according to reports, he was often left at home to care for the child.
The couple divorced in 2010, with Dave citing Davinia’s “unreasonable behavior” as the reason for the split and he was given custody of their three-year-old son.
The couple sold their home Supernova Heights for £3 million to comedian David Walliams.
Dave appeared very little on the showbiz circuit for a while and was hesitant to return to the dating scene.
A short-lived romance with Stephanie Dorrance, the ex-wife of the heir to Campbell’s soup business, reportedly ended because he felt she was too flashy with her money.
In early 2013, Dave made headlines again after it was revealed he was dating pop star Rita Ora, who was 15 years his junior.
The pair were spotted on numerous dates and Rita was pictured doing the ‘walk of shame’ one morning from his London home in the same outfit she had worn the night before.
But the relationship was short-lived again and Rita moved on with her now ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris, while Dave reportedly had a brief flirtation with Kelly Brook.
It wasn’t until mid-July 2014 that there were first rumors 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 of the band Spacehog.
It has been reported that Kate Moss conspired to set up the pair after being convinced they would be okay.
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 of the same age and that’s ideal. They are in a similar place in their lives and ready to settle in with the right person.”
The supermodel was right: they were engaged the following year and dated for seven years.
Liv and Dave had two children, Sailor and Lula, and settled in the Cotswolds.