Who is Luisa Zissman ex-husband? Take a seat, because Oliver Zissman’s story is proper mental and I mean that in the best possible way.
I’ll be honest with you. The first time I heard about this bloke, I figured he was another reality TV husband riding on his wife’s coattails. Boy, was I wrong. Oliver has been grafting his whole life since he was pretty much a nipper, running business after business while the rest of us were twiddling our thumbs, trying to predict where to go next in life.
Started From the Bottom, Now He’s Here
Imagine this: it’s 1996, and at a time in our teenage lives when you and I were most likely obsessed with the Spice Girls while trying to understand this new thing called the internet, 17-year-old Oliver was already having ideas like a businessman. He founded Total Fitness, not the gym chain that you may be familiar with, but a company that rented fitness equipment. Genius, really.
Think about it. How many exercise machines have you purchased, worked out on them twice and then left them to collect dust? Oliver saw this problem coming 20 years before anyone else. His company allows people to rent the kit. Bloody brilliant.
The business was booming right across the UK and Ireland. By the time he met Luisa Zissman, Oliver was already doing rather well for himself, thank you very much.
When Oliver Met Luisa
Here’s where it gets interesting. Oliver’s brother had been the one to hire Luisa to work at their sports equipment company, in fact. Weird, but when you really think about it, who dates their brother’s staff anyway! But it worked out, at least initially.
They were married in 2009, had a daughter, Dixie, in 2010, and looked like they had it all together. Two go-getters, great careers, beautiful family. What could go wrong?
Well, quite a lot, as it turns out.
The Business Buffet
Well, now, when you Google “who is Luisa Zissman’s ex-husband,” you will probably not realise how many pies this chap has his fingers in. But no, that would be too easy.
In 2009, he and Luisa launched The Baker Shop. Cake decorating supplies, home baking bits and bobs, and proper domestic goddess-type stuff. A good idea, really, as baking shows were only just starting to get big.
But Oliver didn’t stop there. The bloke went and set up That Design Store and Beyond Living and even opened a restaurant, Leafy. I mean, the man keeps himself busy! Most people can’t handle one business well, but Oliver was juggling them like he was in a circus.
My good mate Dave runs one little cafe, and he’s worried sick about it. Cannot fathom how Oliver managed all these different ventures without losing his marbles.
When It All Went Pear-Shaped
Success in business doesn’t translate to success at home, sadly. Their marriage had bitten the dust by 2014. Five years, over and out.
Well, I am not into gossip or anything, but the word was that Oliver was dating someone when he was still married to Luisa. That’s no way to treat a lady, now is it? In their divorce papers, they reportedly indicated that they had been separated for two years before making it official.
I may personally have gone through a messy breakup (thankfully, not for public consumption), but I can envision how harsh that would have been. Factor in their businesses together and a young daughter, and you have yourself a real nightmare scenario.
Life Goes On
It’s 2025 now, and a long time has passed for both of them to have gotten over it. Luisa tied the knot with Andrew Collins in 2015, who is an Irish businessman who seems a decent sort. They now have two kids together, and she seems absolutely chuffed with her new life.
Oliver, in the meantime, has been working on his businesses. Now 46, he is still building his empire. Fair play to the man; divorce or no divorce, he hasn’t let personal setbacks slow him down professionally.
What’s the Real Story?
This is my feeling about the whole thing. Oliver Zissman isn’t just “Luisa’s ex-husband”; that’s selling him massively short. This is a dude who launched his first real business before he was old enough to drink in the US legally. He’s built companies in wholly different sectors and somehow made them all work.
Yes, his personal life was a mess. Sure, the divorce was likely terrible for everyone concerned. But you can’t deny that the man knows how to seize a business opportunity.
I reckon the pressure of running multiple businesses together whilst trying to maintain a marriage and raise a child probably didn’t help matters. Money and business partnerships can put massive strain on relationships; I’ve seen it happen to couples who seemed rock solid.
The Bottom Line
So next time someone wonders who is Luisa Zissman ex ex-husband is, you can tell them he’s actually quite impressive in his own right. Oliver’s not sitting around feeling sorry for himself or living off past glories. He’s still out there, still building businesses, still making things happen.
Their story shows you that sometimes life gets complicated. People change, relationships end, but that doesn’t mean everything was a waste of time. They created successful businesses together, they’ve got a daughter who seems well-adjusted, and they’ve both found happiness elsewhere.
Not every story has a fairy-tale ending, but that doesn’t make it any less worth telling. Oliver Zissman might prefer staying out of the spotlight compared to his famous ex-wife, but his business achievements speak volumes about what he’s made of.
And honestly? Good on both of them for handling their split like grown-ups and getting on with building their separate futures.