Chris Martin

Martin married American actress Gwyneth Paltrow on 5 December 2003. The couple met in late 2002 backstage at a Coldplay concert, and Martin later wrote the track "Fix You" while supporting her following the death of her father. They have two children together: daughter Apple Blythe Alison Martin, born in May 2004, and son Moses Bruce Anthony Martin, born in April 2006. Actor Simon Pegg and Coldplay guitarist Jonny Buckland serve as godfathers to Apple. In March 2014, Martin and Paltrow publicly announced their separation as a "conscious uncoupling", and their divorce was finalised in July 2016.

Following his divorce, Martin had an on-and-off relationship with actress Annabelle Wallis between 2015 and 2017. He later entered a long-term relationship with American actress Dakota Johnson in 2017, residing with her in Malibu, California, and becoming engaged before the couple split in 2025.

Martin has managed tinnitus since his early adulthood, a condition that developed after listening to loud music in his youth. In response, he wears custom in-ear monitors and protective earplugs during live performances, actively advocates for hearing loss awareness, and has partnered with the Royal National Institute for Deaf People.

Christopher Anthony John Martin was born on 2 March 1977 in Exeter, Devon, England, as the eldest of five children. His father, Anthony John Martin, worked as a chartered accountant, and his mother, Alison Martin, was a music teacher from Zimbabwe. His family ran Martin's of Exeter, a caravan and motorhome business established in 1929 by his grandfather John Besley Martin. Through his family lineage, he is the great-great-grandson of William Willett, who campaigned for the nationwide adoption of British Summer Time.

Martin attended Exeter Cathedral School and Sherborne School in Dorset, where he formed early musical projects, including a blues band called the Rockin' Honkies alongside future Coldplay manager Phil Harvey. He subsequently studied at University College London, graduating with a first-class honours degree in Greek and Latin.

During university orientation week in 1996, Martin met guitarist Jonny Buckland, and the two began writing music and rehearsing regularly. Bassist Guy Berryman soon joined the group, followed by drummer Will Champion. After performing under temporary names such as Big Fat Noises and Starfish, the quartet adopted the name Coldplay in 1998.

The group achieved immediate commercial and critical success with their 2000 debut album, Parachutes, driven by the global breakthrough hit "Yellow". Coldplay consolidated their worldwide stadium status with multi-platinum follow-up records, including A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), X&Y (2005), and Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008), with the latter earning the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for its title track.

Outside of Coldplay, Martin has written and contributed to numerous projects across pop, hip hop, and electronic music. In 2006, he collaborated with Nelly Furtado on "All Good Things (Come to an End)" and worked with Jay-Z on "Beach Chair" for the album Kingdom Come. He provided the chorus vocals for Kanye West's 2007 track "Homecoming" following a recording session at Abbey Road Studios.

His writing and vocal credits also include work with Avicii on tracks such as "True Believer" and the posthumously released "Heaven", as well as co-writing "Homesick" with Dua Lipa for her 2017 debut album. Martin has also made screen cameos, appearing as himself and a zombie in Edgar Wright's 2004 comedy Shaun of the Dead, as well as guest-starring in Ricky Gervais's comedy series Extras and Sacha Baron Cohen's film Brüno.

Martin has engaged in global political and humanitarian advocacy throughout his career. He served as a prominent ambassador for Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign, travelling to Haiti and Ghana to examine the impact of trade policies on local farmers and frequently writing campaign slogans or equal signs on his hands during live concerts.

In 2015, Martin was appointed creative director of the Global Citizen Festival. His charitable involvement includes performing on the Band Aid 20 and Band Aid 30 charity singles, appearing at the 12/12/12 benefit concert for Hurricane Sandy relief, and supporting InFocus, which named a young adult residential care facility in Exeter as Martin House in his honour.