Charles Spencer celebrated a significant personal achievement by publicly acknowledging six months without alcohol and crediting his girlfriend for her unwavering support.
The 9th Earl Spencer, and younger brother of the late Princess Diana, shared the milestone on Thursday, October 16, posting a photo of himself holding a non-alcoholic Guinness beer to mark the occasion.
“Never felt better,” Spencer, 61, wrote on social media.
He then expressed gratitude to his girlfriend, Cat Jarman, writing: “Thank you, Cat Jarman, for your quiet and thoughtful support in this happy transformation.”
Girlfriend Responds with Pride
Jarman, 43, who began dating Spencer last year following his divorce from his third wife, Countess Karen Spencer, reshared his post with her own message of encouragement.
“Incredibly impressed & proud of you, @cspencer1508! You have such admirable willpower and resilience. 🩷” she wrote.
The Norwegian archaeologist also engaged with followers in the comments section, offering recommendations when one person mentioned difficulty finding non-alcoholic wine options they enjoyed. “There seem to be a lot of quite good sparkling ones, and we quite like Zeno and Oddbird’s offerings,” Jarman shared.
Spencer and Jarman reportedly first met when she was searching for remains of an ancient Roman villa on the grounds of Althorp, Spencer’s ancestral home, for a documentary project. The pair now collaborate professionally, co-hosting “The Rabbit Hole Detectives” podcast alongside broadcaster Rev. Richard Coles. They also co-published “The Rabbit Hole Book” last year, according to People.
In a November 2024 interview with The Daily Mail, Spencer opened up about their relationship. “I’m too old for hearts and flowers stuff, but the best way to describe it is that with Cat, I can be myself. She knows who I am. Who I really am. I don’t have to pretend to be something I am not. And she brings out the best in me,” he stated.
The couple’s friendship reportedly evolved into romance in March 2024. Spencer told the outlet: “I wasn’t looking, neither of us were. The thing is, I am 18 years older than Cat and so there wasn’t even the possibility . . . I’ve never been with a much younger person. I wasn’t even thinking romance. I was at the tail end of a marriage. It just wasn’t a possibility.”
Moving Forward After Divorce
Spencer announced his third divorce in June 2024, describing the news as making him “immensely sad.”
“I just want to devote myself to all my children, and to my grandchildren, and I wish Karen every happiness in the future,” he said at the time.
Spencer and his third wife share one daughter, Lady Charlotte Diana, 13, whose name honors her late aunt, Princess Diana. He also has four children with his first wife, Victoria Lockwood, and two with his second wife, Caroline Freud.
Interestingly, Spencer auctioned off 108 cases of the family’s fine wine collection through Sotheby’s last year. He has now been spotted drinking his non-alcoholic beverages instead.
Spencer has faced significant personal challenges beyond his recent divorce. In addition to losing his older sister, Princess Diana, in a 1997 car accident, he recently revealed childhood trauma in his memoir.
Last year, Spencer published “A Very Private School,” in which he disclosed that he had been sexually abused as a child by a female staff member while at boarding school. He previously spoke exclusively to People about how his then-wife supported him during the five-year writing process.
“I think it was very challenging for her to have a husband going through what was essentially four and a half years of the most profound therapy with very difficult undertones to it. I think she always hoped I would come out happier and healthier. And that seems to be the case, very much,” he stated.
