Alex Best is a British television personality, presenter, model and author whose public story is closely connected with football legend George Best, but her media career extends beyond that relationship. Born Alexandra Jane Pursey, she worked as an airline cabin attendant before marrying George Best in 1995. Their marriage lasted until 2004, the same year she appeared as a contestant on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!. She later built a profile through television, modelling, and publishing, including two books about her experiences.
Readers searching for Alex Best, George Best’s ex-wife, or trying to identify the television host and media personality linked to the famous Manchester United player are usually looking for the story behind her marriage, television appearances, and life in the public eye.
Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Alexandra Jane Pursey, professionally known as Alex Best |
| Public Role | Television presenter/personality, model and author |
| Earlier Career | Airline cabin attendant |
| Known For | I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and her marriage to George Best |
| Former Spouse | George Best |
| Marriage | 24 July 1995 – 2004 |
| Notable Television | I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! (2004) |
| Books | Always Alex: My Story (2005); Loving George (2006) |
| Nationality/Public Profile | British media personality |
Her full name and earlier work as an airline cabin attendant are documented in biographical records of George Best, while British bibliographic records confirm her two published books.
Who Is Alex Best?
Alex Best became a recognisable figure in British popular culture during her marriage to George Best, one of the most celebrated footballers of his generation. George had become internationally famous through Manchester United and Northern Ireland long before the couple met, meaning that Alex entered a level of press attention far removed from her previous career.
Before her celebrity profile developed, she was Alexandra Jane Pursey and worked in the airline industry. The Dictionary of Irish Biography identifies her as an airline cabin attendant and records her 1995 marriage to George. Contemporary reporting also described her as an air stewardess before she became more familiar to television and magazine audiences.
Alex Best eventually established recognisable work of her own, including television, modelling, and publishing, which can inspire respect and admiration from the audience.
Early Life and Background
Reliable published material about Alex’s childhood, education, and wider family background is comparatively sparse. The information that can be documented with confidence concentrates mainly on her adult career and years in the public eye.
According to the Dictionary of Irish Biography and British bibliographic records relating to her autobiography, she was born in 1972. Before entering the celebrity world, she worked as an airline cabin attendant.
Her professional background as an airline cabin attendant provides context for her transition into celebrity culture, helping the audience appreciate her personal development.
A 2001 interview reported that Alex said she first encountered George in London in 1994 while she was still working as an air stewardess. They later reconnected and began a relationship that led to marriage the following year.
Marriage to George Best
Alex and George Best married on 24 July 1995 at a register office in the Kensington and Chelsea district of London. Contemporary reporting identified her as Alexandra Jane Pursey at the time of the marriage.
Their relationship attracted considerable media coverage because of George’s extraordinary fame. A European Cup winner with Manchester United and one of Northern Ireland’s greatest footballers, he remained a major public figure long after his peak playing years.
The marriage also coincided with the later stages of George’s well-documented struggle with alcohol. His health deteriorated significantly in subsequent years, and he underwent a liver transplant in 2002. The couple eventually separated, and a London court granted their divorce on 14 April 2004, ending a marriage of almost nine years.
Alex and George had no children together. George died on 25 November 2005 following serious health complications.
Career and Public Recognition
The year 2004 marked an important shift in Alex Best’s public identity. Instead of appearing mainly in coverage related to her husband, she became a reality television personality in her own right.
She joined the third series of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, appearing alongside figures including Kerry Katona, Peter Andre, Katie Price, John Lydon and Jennie Bond. The series aired in early 2004, and Alex was one of its original celebrity contestants.
The programme introduced her to viewers who knew relatively little about her beyond her connection to George Best. Publishing material produced around her autobiography subsequently described her professional activity as including presenting and modelling. Contemporary reporting during her divorce also described her as a British television presenter.
Her television visibility continued through guest appearances over subsequent years. More recently, she featured in a 2022 episode of Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted, where the programme identified her as a TV presenter and George Best’s former wife.
Her continued appearances on programmes like This Morning and Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted keep her relevant and foster an ongoing connection with audiences.
Alex Best as an Author
Publishing became another important part of Alex’s career after her reality television appearance.
John Blake published her autobiography, Always Alex: My Story, in 2005. British bibliographic records list the book as a 279-page autobiographical work, while Google Books confirms Alex Best as its author.
The following year, she published Loving George through John Blake. The Open British National Bibliography lists both titles under Alex Best’s authorship, confirming that her publishing career consisted of at least these two documented books.
The books matter because they let Alex Best share her personal perspective on her life and marriage, offering a narrative that counters or complements media interpretations and emphasizes her Role as an author and individual.
Family, Relationships and Public Interest
Public fascination with Alex Best remains strongly shaped by George Best’s cultural legacy. His football career made him an enduring figure in British and Irish sporting history, and people researching his personal life frequently encounter the name of his second wife.
Alex married George in 1995, and they divorced in 2004. Their relationship therefore covered nearly a decade of his post-playing life, including a period when his health and struggles with alcohol received sustained public attention.
After the divorce, Alex continued to make television appearances and publicly discuss aspects of her past. However, reports about subsequent relationships have varied considerably in quality and reliability. For that reason, claims about her current romantic status should not be presented as fact without recent first-hand confirmation.
Why People Search for Alex Best
Several overlapping reasons explain why Alex continues to generate search interest.
The largest is her connection with George Best. Football fans researching the former Manchester United star often want to know who his second wife was, when they married, and what happened to their relationship.
A second source of interest is reality television. Viewers of older seasons of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! may recognise Alex from the show’s 2004 series and search for information about what she did before and after entering the jungle.
Her media career creates another search route. Queries describing Alex Best as a host or TV presenter generally refer to the same British personality whose work has included television appearances, modelling and publishing.
Finally, her books remain part of the historical record surrounding George Best. Always Alex: My Story and Loving George document her transition from working in aviation to experiencing intense public attention and eventually establishing a media profile of her own.
Privacy, Accuracy and Public Information
Alex Best has spent periods of her adult life in the public eye, but that does not make every personal claim published about her reliable.
A responsible biography should distinguish between documented career information and unsupported celebrity-site claims. Reputable records can establish dates connected with her marriage, her television appearance, her former aviation career, and her published books. Claims about wealth, current relationships, private family circumstances or other personal matters should not be repeated simply because they appear on entertainment websites.
This profile therefore focuses on information that has a clear public record rather than filling gaps with assumptions.
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(FAQs)
Is Alex Best George Best’s ex-wife?
Yes. Alex Best was George Best’s second wife. They married on 24 July 1995 and divorced in 2004 after almost nine years.
What does Alex Best do?
She has worked as a television presenter/personality, model and author. Earlier in her career, before becoming widely recognised, she worked as an airline cabin attendant.
Was Alex Best on I’m a Celebrity?
Yes. Alex competed in the third UK series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2004.
Is Alex Best a TV host?
Reliable sources more commonly describe Alex as a television presenter. Her public career has also included reality television, modelling, guest appearances and publishing.
Has Alex Best written any books?
Yes. She is credited with two published titles: Always Alex: My Story, released in 2005, and Loving George, published in 2006.
Did Alex Best and George Best have children together?
Reliable biographical accounts of George Best record no children from his marriage to Alex. His son Calum Best was born from George’s earlier marriage to Angie Best.
Alex Best’s story sits at the meeting point of football history and British celebrity culture. Her marriage to George Best remains the main reason many people recognise her name, yet her subsequent television appearances and publishing work created a separate public record. Looking at those documented elements together gives a more complete picture than treating her simply as the former wife of a famous footballer.
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