Who is Alex Zane’s ex-wife, Nettie Wakefield? Artist used to date Aidan Turner from Poldark

Alex Zane announced his split from Nettie Wakefield this week, just five months after the couple celebrated their wedding.

The presenter, 43, and the artist, 35, said in a joint statement that they decided to end their five-year relationship, and although it has not been easy, they remain “best friends.”

Here we take a look at who Alex’s estranged wife is, from her impressive career as a pencil artist to her string of famous exes.

Pull apart

Alex and Nettie confirmed their breakup in a statement.

They said: ‘We say goodbye in the best possible way to two people who have shared amazing experiences, full of love and laughter and as many happy memories as two people can have in that time.

We are still the best of friends despite having made the decision to go our separate ways. Our friends and family have been very supportive of us during this time and we appreciate all the help we have received.

“Obviously, leaving a relationship behind is never easy, but we move forward knowing that we have the other to trust.”

They went on to insist that the split is ‘amicable’ and they will remain close friends to raise their beloved dog Simon together.

Alex added: “It’s as amicable a split as can be and we will of course continue to breed our pup, Simon.”

Wedding

Zane, who proposed to Nettie in 2018, after a “year-long whirlwind romance.”

The couple had exchanged vows during the pandemic, but were forced to limit the number of wedding guests due to Covid restrictions, just like the big celebration last August.

Zane previously said that the party, held in July, was the wedding they had “always planned to do” in 2020 but couldn’t due to restrictions.

The TV star’s brother officiated the ceremony, and the wedding party enjoyed carrot maple cake and a speech from their mother.

Artist

Pencil artist Nettie has worked alongside great artists like Banksy and Damian Hirst.

His art has also appeared at auction along with work by Tracey Emin, the Chapman brothers and Jonathan Yeo.

Nettie’s main work is reverse portraiture, in which she approaches strangers in tube stations to get photos of their hair to draw on.

Nettie, who grew up in Barnes, south-west London, has been exhibiting her work in London since completing her master’s degree in 2013.

Love life

Before finding love with Alex, Nettie, whose artworks hang in the capital’s Groucho Club and Maddox Gallery, enjoyed a six-month affair with Poldark heartthrob Aiden Turner.

The couple split in 2017 with reports claiming they were “separated by conflicting work schedules.”

A source said at the time: “Things were great for a while and they were getting serious, but they weren’t and busy schedules kept them apart.”

They have strayed and things have calmed down, but there are no hard feelings. Aidan is incredibly busy with his career and Nettie’s art is really taking off, so they had a lot on their minds for him.

Nettie also used to date Sienna Miller’s ex Tom Sturridge and was also linked to Robert Pattinson.

In 2011, the artist was seen partying with Robert at The Sun Inn, near Barnes, South West London.

A passerby said they were ‘fussy’ and ‘laughing like teenagers’.

The couple had known each other for years through Tom-Nettie’s ex-boyfriend and one of Pattinson’s close friends.

Tom and Nettie went on several double dates with Robert and his ex-girlfriend Kristen Stewart and were seen together at Sturridge’s sister’s wedding reception.

Sturridge dated Sienna for five years. They had a daughter, Marlowe, in July 2012.