Martha Stewart Remembers Losing Her Virginity to Her Ex-Husband
Martha Stewart reflects on her first romantic relationship with her ex-husband, Andy Stewart, in the Netflix documentary "Martha". She describes meeting him while studying at Barnard College, where she fell "madly in love" on their initial date.
Martha recalls being picked up by Andy in a yellow Mercedes sedan. At the time, she had never ridden in a Mercedes before. They were introduced by Martha’s classmate, who knew Andy, then a law student at Yale.
Martha, now 83, grew up in a large family in Nutley, New Jersey. As a tall blonde model, she earned extra money for her parents, "Big Martha" and Edward. During their first dinner, sitting at 19, Martha describes Andy as "polite and handsome." His American Express card indicated sophistication during that era.
As they connected more, she found him intriguing and playful. By the end of dinner, she was head over heels. Andy sent her money for train tickets, allowing her to visit him regularly in New Haven, Connecticut. Martha candidly shares that before meeting Andy, she had never been intimate with anyone. "He was very aggressive and I liked it," she admits.
When Andy proposed, marriage felt instinctive. However, her father disapproved. Martha vividly describes her father's reaction: he slapped her for considering Andy, stating, "You're not marrying him. He's a Jew." Martha, aware of her father's bigotry, was not surprised by the reaction. She boldly asserted her decision to marry him regardless of her father's opinion.
For her wedding in 1961, Martha created her own wedding dress. Four years later, she welcomed her daughter, Alexis. She recalls the wedding day fondly: "It was the beginning of my life."
The documentary also uncovers infidelity during their marriage, as both ventured into affairs. Martha reminisces about kissing a man while honeymooning in Florence and having a brief fling with an attractive Irish man while working as a stockbroker in the late '60s. "It was nothing," she assures, adding, "I would never have broken up a marriage for it."
Andy revealed he "didn’t stray" until after her actions. Martha believes her husband's affairs numbered quite a few during their marriage. One affair occurred on their property in Westport, Connecticut, around the time she was focused on writing cookbooks.
Their marriage ended in 1990, with more than 20 years without contact between them. In 2020, Martha shared with PEOPLE that the divorce was challenging, notably because she was the first in her family to experience it. "I’m very strong, and I’m very motivated to get on with life," she stated.
Earlier, SSP wrote about Nina Dobrev and Shaun White: distinct paths to engagement.