So long, Hiddleswift! Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston called it quits on their whirlwind romance in September 2016 after three months of dating — but the memory of their brief love affair lives on.
At the time of their breakup, a source exclusively told Us Weekly, “[Taylor] was the one to put the brakes on the relationship. Tom wanted the relationship to be more public than she was comfortable with.”
From the moment the “All Too Well” singer and the Thor actor shared a dance at the Met Gala in May 2016, the two caught people’s attention. So much so, that their entire relationship was plagued by rumors that it was a product of publicity — something Hiddleston refuted.
“Taylor is an amazing woman. She’s generous and kind and lovely, and we had the best time,” the Tony nominee told GQ in February 2017 following their split. “Of course, it was real.”
When Hiddleston and Swift met in May 2016, she was dating Calvin Harris, two months later, however, the musicians ended their romance of more than one year. It wasn’t long before the Valentine’s Day actress was caught making out with the Night Manager alum on a beach not far from her Rhode Island home in June 2016.
As their connection continued to heat up, a source exclusively told Us that Hiddleston “started reaching out” to the “Getaway Car” singer following her ending things with Harris.
“[Tom] really courted her,” the insider said at the time. “He liked her and saw an opportunity when she was suddenly single, and he went for it.”
While Swift never spoke publicly about Hiddleston, the Marvel star couldn’t seem to escape questions about the pop singer — many of which he seemed to answer happily. “She is amazing,” he gushed to MTV UK days after the 2016 Met Gala.
Later that year, he would go viral for wearing a “I Heart T.S.” tank top while celebrating Independence Day with the Pennsylvania native and her friends. “Nobody had the context for that story,” he told GQ after the fact. “And I’m still trying to work out a way of having a personal life and protecting it, but also without hiding. So the hardest thing is that that was a joke among friends on the Fourth of July.”
Hiddleston, who moved on with Marvel costar Zawe Ashton, has said that his short time with Swift taught him a lot about dating in the public eye. “It’s not possible, and nor should it be possible, to control what anyone thinks about you,” he told The New York Times in 2019. “Especially if it’s not based … in any reality.”
He continued, “And yes, I’m protective about my internal world now in probably a different way. That’s because I didn’t realize it needed protecting before.”
Keep scrolling to look back on Hiddleswift’s most memorable relationship moments:
May 1, 2016
Swift and Hiddleston met at a pre–Met Gala dinner at Anna Wintour’s house in New York City. Swift was spotted exiting the Vogue editor in chief’s home behind Hiddleston and Idris Elba. At the time, Swift was still dating Calvin Harris.
May 2, 2016
The Thor: Ragnarok actor and “New Romantics” singer had a fun dance-off and bonded at the 2016 Met Gala.
May 16, 2016
Hiddleston had nothing but nice things to say about his Met Gala dance partner in an interview with MTV UK. “I sat next to her at dinner that night,” he explained. “She was very charming. She is amazing.”
June 14, 2016
The relationship took off in full force. Hiddleston and Swift were spotted making out on the beach near her Westerly, Rhode Island, mansion. The photos sent the internet into a frenzy due to the fact Swift had ended things with Harris only two weeks before.
“When [Tom] went up to her house in Rhode Island, the love just bloomed pretty instantly,” a source told Us at the time.
June 17, 2016
While leaving the gym, Hiddleston was asked by TMZ whether he was officially dating Swift and chose to ignore the question.
June 19, 2016
The two were spotted walking hand-in-hand at the Vatican while on a Roman holiday.
June 23, 2016
After making out in Rhode Island, the duo jetted off to Swift’s hometown of Nashville, and went on a double date with country singer Holly Williams and her husband.
“They looked adorable,” an onlooker told Us of the pair. “Taylor was laughing at Tom’s jokes.” During their trip, Hiddleston also met Swift’s parents.
June 25, 2016
Just two weeks after first hitting it off, it was Swift’s turn to meet the parents. During a visit to England, the couple were spotted walking in Suffolk on the east coast with Hiddleston’s mom, Diana.
“Taylor is so happy,” a source told Us of the singer’s new romance. “She’s living a British rom-com dream.”
June 26, 2016
The pair were again spotted out and about with Hiddleston’s mom after strolling along Suffolk’s Covehithe Beach. Swift reportedly even borrowed his mom’s boots for the walk.
“Tom checks off a lot of boxes. He’s hot, smart, talented, British, blond, everything she’s into. What’s not to like?” a pal close to Swift told Us. “She’s going with it, and why shouldn’t she? They have been bonding over the industry, their childhoods, where they are from. It’s the getting-to-know-you phase. Taylor is just happy to have the time to meet someone new and move on from Calvin.”
June 27, 2016
That’s amore! The pair continued their whirlwind romance — and tour of the world — by visiting the Colosseum in Rome.
July 3, 2016
Hiddleston made the cut when it came time for Swift’s annual star-studded 4th of July bash at her mansion in Westerly, Rhode Island. The Thor: Ragnarok actor even donned an “I ❤︎ T.S.” shirt while splashing around and kissing Swift in the ocean.
The couple were joined by Swift’s squad, including Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Cara Delevingne, Karlie Kloss, Gigi Hadid, Ruby Rose, Alana Haim and Abigail Anderson.
July 8, 2016
After one heck of a 4th of July bash, the now-exes jetted off to Australia where they were spotted together in the Sydney airport.
July 10, 2016
Hiddleston and Swift dined at Gemelli Italian in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast.
July 14, 2016
A source told Us that Hiddleston was planning to propose to his girlfriend of two months. “She would definitely say yes,” the insider said at the time, adding that dating the Kong: Skull Island actor had “been a dream come true” for Swift.
July 15, 2016
Hiddleston’s Marvel costarChris Hemsworth told an Australian radio show that his friend “look[ed] happy” when he started hanging out with Swift.
July 27, 2016
The pair were last spotted out looking happy together at a dinner in Santa Monica.
July 25, 2016
Shake it off? The Only Lovers Left Alive actor responded to the haters who suspected his romance with Swift was a publicity stunt.
“Everything you do you have to make sure you truly believe in it and as long as you know that, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says about it,” he told People. “Because the nature of being a public figure is that everyone will have an opinion about anything you do, and as long as you know why you’ve done something and you’ve committed to it with authenticity then you’re OK.”
August 13, 2016
During a Facebook Live interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hiddleston talked about what he had learned from hooking up with the pop star.
“I’ve learned to — I don’t know, maybe it’s too soon to tell,” the Crimson Peak actor said. “Um, I’ve learned that there are many sides to a story, and that sometimes there are a lot of stories out there which are false, and the hardest thing is to try to not let those falsehoods affect your own life. That’s what I would say.”
August 24, 2016
A source told Us that the pair had a “major argument” in early August because “they weren’t spending as much time together.”
September 6, 2016
A source exclusively told Us that Hiddleswift called it quits after three months of dating because the “22” singer felt overwhelmed by the public’s perception of their relationship.
“Taylor knew the backlash that comes with public displays of affection,” an insider said at the time. “But Tom didn’t listen to her concerns when she brought them up.”
October 21, 2022
After Taylor Swift released her 10th studio album, “Midnights,” fans speculated that several tracks were about her romance with Tom Hiddleston. In the song “Maroon,” she sings, “And I chose you / The one I was dancing with / In New York, no shoes.” Some listeners interpreted this as a reference to Swift and Hiddleston dancing together at the 2016 Met Gala, where they first met.
Similarly, “Midnight Rain” also contained possible references to the Loki actor, including a line about “jumping off things in the ocean.” Some fans saw that as a nod to Swift’s 2016 4th of July party, where the duo were photographed splashing around in the water.
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