**Family and Friends Isolated Constance Marten After Meeting New Partner**
Constance Marten, once affectionately referred to as “Toots” by those closest to her, reportedly became estranged from friends and family following her relationship with Mark Gordon—the man who would later, alongside Marten, be convicted in the tragic case of their daughter’s death. The high-profile trial has cast a spotlight not only on the circumstances of baby Victoria’s death, but also on Marten’s gradual retreat from her previous life and loved ones.
Acquaintances describe Marten, a 37-year-old former aristocrat and mother of five, as lively, sociable and caring prior to her association with Gordon. Her friend, Noisette Tahoun, shared recollections of their close friendship, which was formed while both worked for a production company in Cairo. Marten was at the time pursuing studies in Arabic and Middle Eastern studies and had taken a year in Egypt as part of her degree. Tahoun recounted, “Constance was the heart of any gathering; she was spontaneous, fun, and incredibly kind. It’s hard to reconcile that vibrant person with the headlines now.”
The turning point, according to several close to Marten, came in 2016, coinciding with the beginning of her relationship with Gordon. Those around her observed a marked change—contact with family, friends, and colleagues declined, and messages began to go unanswered. Tahoun noted attempts to reach Marten went ignored, even as early as 2016. “She started distancing herself from everyone, not just me. I reached out to her family out of concern, but they hadn’t heard from her either.”
Marten’s relationship with Gordon was both intense and isolating. The couple, who wed in Peru—a marriage that holds no legal standing in the UK—eventually had five children together. However, their lifestyle choices became increasingly nomadic and secretive, culminating in a dramatic attempt to evade authorities.
This bid to disappear from official notice reached a climax in early 2023 when Marten and Gordon went missing, sparking a nationwide search. At the centre of this urgent manhunt was the welfare of their newborn baby, Victoria. The story reached its darkest moment when police discovered Victoria’s remains in a supermarket bag within a shed on an allotment in the South Downs, a discovery met with widespread shock and sorrow.
During the subsequent proceedings at the Old Bailey, Marten and Gordon faced multiple serious charges. Initially, both were found guilty of concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice. The pair were retried on the graver accusation of manslaughter by gross negligence—the jury ultimately finding them guilty after evidence suggested the baby’s death had occurred weeks before the pair’s arrest, and that Victoria’s body had been concealed for a significant period.
Marten herself asserted that her daughter was born on Christmas Eve 2022 and died mere weeks later, though prosecutors argued that this timeline was in dispute. The harrowing detail that Victoria was kept in a shopping bag, alongside everyday refuse, for an extended time only heightened the tragedy.
Throughout the ordeal, friends like Tahoun continued to call for Marten to reconnect with her support network, pleading publicly for her to reach out. “No matter what has happened, she needs to know there are people who love her. Isolation can be dangerous, and I wish she’d let her family help.”
The loss of contact with friends and relatives is an often-overlooked aspect in cases where individuals become involved in controlling or isolating relationships. Marten’s gradual disappearance from her former life is now seen as a warning about such patterns.
Both Marten and Gordon are due to be sentenced for manslaughter in September, following their unsuccessful appeals against earlier convictions of child cruelty, concealing a birth, and perverting the course of justice. The story stands as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities hidden beneath the surface of even seemingly privileged lives, and the lasting impacts of disconnection from one’s community.