Who was Stella Tennant married to? Model was struggling mentally after split with husband when she died by suicide
Less than a month after the death of Stella Tennant shook the fashion industry as one final blow from 2020, the British model's family has now confirmed that the cause of death was suicide. Tennant, 50, was found dead on December 22. At the time, the cause of death was unknown, but it is believed that Stella and her photographer husband David Lasnet had split.
Married for 21 years at the time of their August 2020 split, Tennant had met Lasnet when her career and fame were both skyrocketing. and he was a French photographer assigned to a New York shoot with her. Their wedding was as publicized and aristocratic an affair as one would expect the wedding of the granddaughter of the 11th Duke of Devonshire and Deborah Mitford to be. The 1999 ceremony in Tennant's hometown Oxnam was quite lavish, and the couple rode out the high profile celebrity wedding rush at a sprawling 16th Century estate in the Scottish Borders that belonged to Tennant's parents.
Known for her androgynous looks and style during her 1990s modeling prime, Tennant's success knew no bounds as she went on to become a Vogue Covergirl. Lasnet too turned to osteopathy, inspired to retrain when the couple's first child Marcel, 22, contracted whooping cough as a child. The former photographer qualified from the British School of Osteopathy in 2009 with chronic conditions, children, and babies as his areas of interest. The couple went on to have three more children: Iris, 15, Jasmine, 17, and Cecily, 20. And after moving from New York, the couple has lived in the same 18th-century mansion that they had first moved to as a married couple. Their luxe property empire is also worth noting, with a luxury mews house in Edinburg as well as a stately home near Tennant's father's estate.
Regarding why they had split, there's no concrete reason available to the media, but Lasnet had once said in an interview "There’s nothing better than growing old together. And it’s very easy to destroy something."
At the time of Tennant's death in December, her family wasn't certain about the cause but had ruled out any suspicious involvement. They had said in a statement: "It is with great sadness we announce the sudden death of Stella Tennant on 22nd December 2020. Stella was a wonderful woman and an inspiration to us all. She will be greatly missed. Her family ask for their privacy to be respected. Arrangements for a memorial service will be announced at a later date."
In a newer statement to The Telegraph, the family has however reported that the model died by suicide. "We have been humbled by the outpouring of messages of sympathy and support since Stella died. She was a beautiful soul, adored by a close family and good friends, a sensitive and talented woman whose creativity, intelligence and humor touched so many," the statement read. Addressing her mental health at the time of the tragedy, her family wrote: "Stella had been unwell for some time. So it is a matter of our deepest sorrow and despair that she felt unable to go on, despite the love of those closest to her." They asked for privacy in these times, concluding: "In grieving Stella's loss, her family renews a heartfelt request that respect for their privacy should continue."