Martyn Eaden is a British screenwriter and copywriter best known publicly as the former husband of actress Chrissy Metz, star of This Is Us. He built his career away from Hollywood, working first as a journalist and copywriter before moving into screenwriting. Eaden keeps a low profile and rarely appears in interviews or on social media, which sets him apart from many people connected to well-known actors. 

His work spans newspapers, television, and film, and shows a quiet determination to build a career on his own terms rather than through his marriage. This profile covers his career, his marriage to Metz, and where he stands today.

Who Is Martyn Eaden?

Martyn Eaden works as a British writer, screenwriter, and copywriter, and earlier in his career he wrote as a freelance journalist for national publications. He built a quiet, low-profile career behind the scenes rather than chasing the spotlight that comes with celebrity and fame in Hollywood. Public information about his personal life stays limited, since he protects his privacy and keeps his identity out of the media and away from cameras, staying mostly silent about personal details.

Most people find him through his connection to Chrissy Metz, and he is widely known simply as her ex-husband. That label only covers part of his story. Eaden writes edgy stories and dramatic scripts, including horror shorts and features, and he has built a career as a creative force in genre storytelling. His award-winning scripts Shango and Mercy came from a writing partnership with David McClellan, and both works show his interest in real, simple, curious characters set inside darker plots.

Away from screenwriting, Eaden has written for newspapers and other publications, drawing on his background as a British journalist and freelance copywriter to shape a clear, direct style in his scripts.

Early Life and Background

Martyn Eaden was born in Hampshire, United Kingdom, on April 10, 1970, and grew up in a calm environment away from big cities. His family background remains private, and details about his parents, siblings, and childhood in the United Kingdom are not public. He developed an early love of stories and storytelling as a child, and that interest carried him into writing as a career.

Some sources connect him to Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England, around the time he later met Chrissy Metz, though Hampshire remains the location tied to his birth and formative years. He later spent time in the United States as his career and personal life pulled him toward new experiences and career pursuits beyond the United Kingdom. His British roots, including an early interest in 70s horror writing, shaped the genre he would return to later as a screenwriter.

Education

Eaden attended Lake Western High School before pursuing writing as a skill-based career rather than through formal film school. He has said he learned screenwriting mostly through independent study, reading books like Save the Cat and other craft guides, and through conversations with other writers rather than classroom training. 

Around 2010, he met an Irish writer at a party in Los Angeles who introduced him to three-act structure, story beats, and character arcs, which pushed him toward his screenwriting path.

Career and Professional Work

Eaden began as a freelance writer, contributing to national newspapers including The Guardian, The Times, and The Independent. This early work built his confidence and credibility as a writer and gave him a large audience before he moved into other formats. 

He also worked in copywriting for media outlets and other employers, taking on entertainment jobs with talent agencies and production offices, including product integration work connected to HGTV.

Television Writing

Before focusing on film, Eaden contributed to British television, working on established shows including EastEnders and Coronation Street. Both series carry large audiences in the United Kingdom, and his work on them reflects real storytelling talent applied to long-running, high-pressure television production.

Screenwriting and Film Projects

Eaden’s screenwriting credits include Death Factory in 2014, Spurned and Thoughtform in 2016, and Killer Under the Bed in 2018. He also wrote Olivia Mabel and is credited on Changes. According to IMDb, he holds four screenwriting credits as a director and screenwriter across shorts and features, most of them built around dark, intense film ideas rather than mainstream blockbuster hits.

Awards, Achievements and Creative Partnerships

Eaden won Filmmatic’s Short Screenplay Awards, Season 10, for his short thriller Mercy, a category tied to horror and thriller screenplay recognition. He also wrote Shango, another award-recognized script, through his ongoing partnership with fellow writer David McClellan. 

In interviews about his win, Eaden pointed to the Irish writer he met in Los Angeles around 2010, who was writing Man of Tai Chi for Keanu Reeves at the time, as the person who taught him three-act structure, story beats, and character arcs. He has also credited Pilar Alessandra’s screenwriting podcast as more useful to his development than any formal class.

Writing Style and Creative Approach

Eaden’s writing favors clarity and simplicity over complicated plots, whether he is working on copywriting, journalism, or screenwriting. His scripts lean into realistic, grounded themes even within horror and thriller genres, and he applies the same directness across niche film projects and commercial copywriting work. 

That versatility, moving between journalism, advertising copy, and genre screenwriting, reflects a writer comfortable adapting his voice to different formats rather than specializing narrowly. His British sensibility applied to American genre storytelling, particularly horror, gives his scripts a distinct tone compared to purely American-trained writers.

How Martyn Eaden Met Chrissy Metz

Eaden met Chrissy Metz in 2006 through a dating app while he was based in the United Kingdom and she was living in the United States. The two built a long-distance relationship through messages and calls across the Atlantic before meeting in person.

Their online connection grew serious enough that Eaden proposed, and the couple moved toward marriage despite living an ocean apart for part of their relationship.

Marriage to Chrissy Metz

Martyn Eaden and Chrissy Metz married on January 5, 2008, at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in Santa Barbara, California, in a small ceremony. The couple did not have children together. Early in the marriage, both dealt with financial struggles, including travel costs tied to their long-distance relationship, while Metz worked to build her acting career and Eaden continued his writing work. They shared responsibilities as a couple while managing the pressure of two developing careers under one roof.

Relationship Challenges and Turning Point

As Metz’s acting career gained momentum in Los Angeles, the couple faced growing communication issues and emotional distance. Eaden continued steady writing work while Metz’s schedule and rising public profile added new pressures to daily life. Those career pressures, combined with personal struggles on both sides, created a gap between them that proved difficult to close.

Divorce from Chrissy Metz

Eaden and Metz separated in January 2013, and Metz filed for divorce in November 2014, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce was finalized on December 11, 2015. In her 2018 memoir, This Is Me: Loving the Person You Are Today, Metz described the marriage’s end as private and free of major public conflict, framing it as two people whose careers and personal paths pulled them apart rather than a dramatic breakup.

Life After Divorce

Following the divorce, Eaden kept a low-key, independent life, avoiding public appearances and staying largely off social media. He has not confirmed a new marriage or public relationship, and his current relationship status remains private. That consistency, choosing quiet distance from the spotlight both during and after his marriage, has stayed the same since 2015.

Net Worth and Income Sources

Public reporting on Eaden’s net worth varies, and no figure is officially confirmed. Some estimates place his net worth reportedly between $1 million and $2 million, drawn from his combined income as a screenwriter and copywriter, while other reports list a narrower range closer to $60,000 to $100,000 tied specifically to screenwriting income. His earnings likely come from a mix of screenplay sales, development deals, copywriting and PR work, and television product integration rather than one primary source.

Personal Life and Health

Eaden keeps his personal life private, and detailed information about his health has not been publicly confirmed. General discussion around his story sometimes touches on mental health and recovery, though no verified statements from Eaden himself confirm specific conditions or experiences.

Mental Health Awareness Connection

Organizations such as the Mental Health Foundation and Samaritans offer resources for anyone dealing with mental health challenges, and stories like Eaden’s, built around privacy and public curiosity, often prompt broader conversations about seeking help and supporting emotional well-being.

Physical Appearance

Eaden stands approximately 5 feet 10 inches, or 177 cm, and reported weight figures list him at around 163 lbs, or 74 kg. He has black hair and dark brown eyes. No verified public photos confirm a specific weight loss transformation, so any claims about weight change should be treated as unconfirmed.

Where Is Martyn Eaden Now in 2026?

As of 2026, Eaden continues to live a quiet life in the United Kingdom, away from public attention and mainstream media coverage. His social media presence remains largely unconfirmed, and no verified accounts under his name are widely recognized. He appears to still be active in screenwriting, with Olivia Mabel reportedly in development, continuing the same low-profile creative path he has followed since Mercy and Shango.

Relationship with Chrissy Metz Today

Eaden and Metz appear to remain on respectful terms since their divorce. In interviews and in her memoir, Metz has spoken about Eaden without negativity, describing him as a good person and reflecting on the relationship with emotional maturity rather than resentment. Neither has publicly described ongoing conflict since the divorce was finalized in 2015.

Martyn Eaden vs. Martin Eden: Avoiding the Confusion

Martyn Eaden should not be confused with Martin Eden, the title character of Jack London’s 1909 novel. That book, a Künstlerroman following a young writer’s development, shares no connection to the real-life screenwriter beyond a similar-sounding name, and search results for each frequently overlap.

Final Thoughts

Martyn Eaden’s story includes marriage, separation, and a steady creative career built mostly away from public view. He chose privacy over the spotlight throughout his relationship with Chrissy Metz and continued that same quiet approach afterward, building a body of work in journalism, copywriting, and screenwriting defined by persistence rather than fame.

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FAQs

Who is Martyn Eaden?

Martyn Eaden is a British writer, screenwriter, and copywriter, widely known as the ex-husband of actress Chrissy Metz, though he keeps his personal life largely private.

What does Martyn Eaden do for a living?

Eaden works as a copywriter and screenwriter, with credits including Death Factory and Spurned, and he previously wrote for newspapers and media companies.

How old is Martyn Eaden?

Martyn Eaden was born on April 10, 1970, in England, making him 56 years old as of 2026.

Why did Martyn Eaden and Chrissy Metz get divorced?

The couple separated in 2013, Metz filed for divorce in 2014 citing irreconcilable differences, and the divorce was finalized in 2015 without public conflict.

What is Martyn Eaden’s net worth?

Reports place Eaden’s net worth between $1 million and $2 million, though this figure is not officially confirmed and reflects his combined screenwriting and copywriting income.

Did Martyn Eaden lose weight?

There is no publicly confirmed information about Martyn Eaden losing weight, and his private life leaves this detail unverified.

How tall is Martyn Eaden?

Martyn Eaden stands approximately 5 feet 10 inches, or 177 cm, based on publicly reported physical details.

Where is Martyn Eaden now in 2026?

As of 2026, Martyn Eaden lives a quiet life in the United Kingdom, staying largely out of public attention and social media.