Tanya Burr and Jim Chapman were a British YouTube couple who met in 2007, married in 2015, and announced their separation in March 2019 after 12 years together. Their dog Martha later became an internet mystery until Jim’s sister Nicola Chapman confirmed in August 2025 that Martha was alive and living on a Norfolk farm.
Who Are Tanya Burr and Jim Chapman?
Tanya Burr and Jim Chapman were central figures in the British YouTube community during the platform’s commercial boom in the 2010s. Burr built her audience through beauty tutorials after training as a makeup artist, later launching Tanya Burr Cosmetics in 2014 and publishing lifestyle books. Chapman focused on fashion and daily vlogs, also working as a model and contributing editor for British GQ.
They were part of the “Brit Crew,” a group of UK influencers that included Zoe Sugg, Alfie Deyes, Joe Sugg, Caspar Lee, and Marcus Butler. This cohort dominated British YouTube during its most commercially influential period. Their wedding in 2015 drew coverage from the BBC and mainstream entertainment outlets, cementing their status beyond the platform.
How They Met and Early Years (2007–2012)
The pair met in 2007 at sixth form in Norwich, three years before either launched a YouTube channel. Burr later told BBC Radio 1 that Chapman had never had a girlfriend before her and was “really inexperienced” on their first cinema date. They began dating while still teenagers, long before online fame arrived.
Both launched channels around 2009 and 2010, initially independently. Burr posted makeup tutorials while Chapman created fashion and lifestyle content. Their relationship became a regular feature in each other’s videos, and they built a shared audience that eventually totaled millions of subscribers between their channels.
Marriage and Life Together (2015–2019)
Chapman proposed in New York in December 2012. The couple married on September 3, 2015, at Babington House in Somerset, a members’ club popular with celebrities. Guests included Zoe Sugg, Alfie Deyes, and Joe Sugg. The ceremony was kept secret until three days later, when the couple announced it simultaneously on Twitter.
They adopted a miniature dachshund named Martha in 2015, who became known to fans as “Martha Moo”. Martha featured prominently in their vlogs and Instagram content, becoming a minor internet celebrity in her own right. The couple lived in a £2 million home in Fulham, London.
The Separation (March 2019)
On March 17, 2019, Burr and Chapman announced their separation via Instagram Stories after 12 years together. Burr wrote that they had made “the painful decision to no longer be together” and emphasized they had “a huge amount of love and respect for each other”. Chapman echoed the sentiment, stating they were “still absolutely the best of friends”.
A source close to the couple told Marie Claire UK that “there was no one to blame they just grew apart”. Fans reacted with widespread shock, as the couple had been viewed as one of YouTube’s most stable partnerships.
The Martha Mystery
After the split, Martha vanished from both Burr’s and Chapman’s social media accounts. Fans flooded their comment sections with questions, prompting Burr to block the word “dog” from her Instagram comments. This only intensified speculation, with followers instead asking “where is the hound,” a phrase that became a running joke across Reddit and social platforms.
For six years, neither Burr nor Chapman addressed Martha’s whereabouts. Chapman later explained he felt it “wasn’t really his place” to speak without Burr’s permission. In 2022, a Reddit user claiming to be Chapman’s sister Sam wrote that Martha was “alive and well and lives in Norfolk,” but the claim was unverified and largely dismissed.
Nicola Chapman Reveals the Truth (August 2025)
On August 17, 2025, Jim’s sister Nicola Chapman, founder of Real Techniques, posted a TikTok video titled “Where’s the hound? Question answered”. With Jim’s consent, she explained that after the split, Jim moved into her London flat, which had no garden, while Burr stayed in the family home that had stairs.
Around the same time, Martha developed a back problem, a common condition in dachshunds, and could no longer climb stairs. She required rehabilitation and 24-hour care, which neither Burr nor Chapman could provide alone while working constantly and living separately. They reached out to friends and family for help.
A family friend named Hannah, who already owned a dachshund and lived on a farm in Norfolk, took Martha in. Nicola confirmed that Burr and Chapman contributed money for Martha’s ongoing rehabilitation. “She’s absolutely alive, she lives on a farm. She is running around happily, living her best life,” Nicola said in the video.
Life After the Split
Jim Chapman began dating model Sarah Tarleton in June 2019, three months after the split announcement. They got engaged in July 2020 and welcomed their first child, a daughter named Margot Grace Alba, in September 2021. The couple legally married at Santa Barbara Courthouse on March 28, 2022, followed by a celebration in Seville, Spain, later that year. Their second child, a son, was born in 2023.
Tanya Burr pursued acting, appearing in minor roles including an extra part in Holby City and a role in the 2021 film Twist. She welcomed her first child, Sage Gabriel, in November 2022 and announced in May 2026 that she was expecting her second child. Burr has kept her partner’s identity largely private.
The contrast between their post-split paths is notable: Chapman remarried quickly and expanded his family publicly, while Burr stepped back from sharing her personal life online after years of having her relationship documented for public consumption.They met in 2007 at sixth form in Norwich and separated in March 2019 after 12 years together.
Why did Tanya Burr and Jim Chapman split up?
They described it as a matter of growing apart rather than any specific event. Jim later told the Diary of a CEO podcast that they had “conquered the world together” but ultimately “grew up in slightly different directions”.
What happened to their dog Martha after the divorce?
Martha developed a back problem around the time of the split that required 24-hour care and rehabilitation. Since Jim had moved to a flat without a garden and Tanya’s home had stairs, a family friend on a farm in Norfolk took her in. Jim’s sister Nicola confirmed in August 2025 that Martha was alive, happy, and that both Jim and Tanya helped fund her rehab.
What is Jim Chapman doing now?
Jim remarried model Sarah Tarleton in March 2022 and they have two children, Margot and Jesse. He continues working as an author, illustrator, presenter, model, and lifestyle influencer, and the family relocated to the Cotswolds.
What is Tanya Burr doing now?
Tanya welcomed her first child, Sage Gabriel, in November 2022 and announced a second pregnancy in May 2026. She runs a literary salon called Chapter, serves as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, and maintains a significant Instagram following.
