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Taylor Swift
19 April 2024, 12:30 | Updated: 19 April 2024, 12:33
By Capital FM
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn have split just months after engagement rumours emerged. But how did Taylor and Joe first meet, how long were they together, and why did they break up? Here's a complete timeline…
Taylor Swift and boyfriend Joe Alwyn successfully kept their relationship out of the public eye before it was revealed they'd split.
Every now and again Taylor will share tiny anecdotes about her love life and her six-year relationship with Joe, always making sure not to share too much, and spilling most of her feelings in her music.
Taylor and Joe faced fresh engagement rumours at the start of the year after sources close to the couple claimed they were 'officially engaged', however months later just as she began The Eras Tour it was reported they'd split as their relationship had 'run its course.'
Since then, Taylor's penned a whole album called 'The Tortured Poets Department' about their relationship and breakup, including songs like 'So Long, London', a far cry from 'London Boy', 'loml' and 'imgonnagetyouback'.
But how did Taylor and Joe first meet, were they actually engaged, and why did they split? Here's a complete timeline of their relationship…
Swifties were devastated by the news Taylor and boyfriend Joe broke up after six years together and multiple songs about their romance, including 'The 1', 'Invisible String' and 'Dress'.
Entertainment Tonight reported on 9th April 2023 the couple had broken up after the relationship ‘had just run its course’. The split was said to be ‘amicable’ and ‘not dramatic’.
It also explains why Joe hadn't been spotted at The Eras Tour, which Taylor embarked on in March last year.
Before embarking on The Eras Tour, Taylor dropped four previously unreleased songs to celebrate her heading on the road; 'All of the Girls You Loved Before', 'Eyes Open', 'Safe & Sound' and 'If This Was A Movie'.
'All of the Girls You Loved Before', which is one of Taylor's From The Vault tracks from her 2019 'Lover' album, seems to be a nod to boyfriend Joe as she sings: "All of the girls you loved before (Ooh) / Made you the one I've fallen for / Every dead-end street led you straight to me / Now you're all I need, I'm so thankful for."
The lyrics read like a love letter to Joe's exes, as she sings about being grateful for the fact their relationships eventually led him to her.
Taylor's 'Sweet Nothing' track is like a sequel to 'Lover', giving an intimate glimpse into their low-key relationship and how Taylor finds herself 'running home to your sweet nothings'.
Joe helped write the track, which makes it even more romantic in our eyes.
Here's the chorus, which is just adorable:
They said the end is coming
Everyone's up to something
I found myself a-running home to your sweet nothings
Outside they’re push and shoving
You're in the kitchen humming
All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing
On 1 July, reports broke yet again that Taylor and Joe have been secretly engaged for some time now.
According to the tabloids, they've been engaged for 'a few months', with Taylor choosing to wear her engagement ring behind closed doors.
Rumours first emerged about their engagement in the New Year, when it was reported Joe got down on one knee during a romantic holiday to Cornwall.
In photos from their romantic getaway to the Caribbean, Taylor and Joe are the image of love.
They were seen taking a dip in the sea, hugging and kissing in the way all couples do on holiday.
The loved-up pair spent the day swimming in the clear-blue sea and sunbathing before retreating back to their luxury Airstream van which is said to be on loan from Lenny Kravitz.
After a busy period for both Taylor and Joe – Joe starred in new series Conversations with Friends and Taylor's been working on her re-releases – the vacation was no doubt a welcome break for the couple.
Joe gave fans a rare glimpse into his relationship with Tay in May 2022, telling GQ Magazine about how he and his girlfriend 'accidentally' began writing songs together.
Swifties will already know that the Conversations With Friends star co-wrote songs with Taylor under the pseudonym William Bowery on various bops across her 2020 albums, 'Folklore' and 'Evermore', and he dished on how it came together.
"The idea was that people would just listen to the music rather than focus on the fact that we wrote it together," Joe explained, “It was fun to do it together, and I was proud of it. It was nice getting such a positive reception."
Joe Alwyn stars in Conversations with Friends trailer
In April, Joe spoke to The Wall Street Journal about his upcoming role in Conversations With Friends, the TV adaptation of the famous Sally Rooney novel.
The actor let slip that he's caught wind of the constant marriage rumours surrounding him and Taylor, he told the publication: “If I had a pound for every time I think I’ve been told I’ve been engaged, then I’d have a lot of pound coins."
Alwyn neither confirmed nor denied the claims, saying: “I mean, the truth is, if the answer was yes, I wouldn’t say, and if the answer was no, I wouldn’t say.”
Life & Style claimed multiple sources confirmed Taylor and Joe's engagement, after they enjoyed on a romantic weekend away to St Ives in Cornwall in January.
The couple are yet to confirm the news themselves, but that hasn't stopped the speculation swirling online – something Taylor and Joe have faced multiple times in the past ever since she released 2019 album 'Lover' and sparked speculation they were set to tie the knot with the lyrics: 'Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand? / With every guitar string scar on my hand / I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover.'
Of course, we won't take anything as gospel until Tay announces it herself!
Taylor and Joe reportedly flew thousands of miles from her home in Nashville to the idyllic holiday spot of St. Ives in Cornwall for a romantic getaway earlier this January.
The picturesque location is said to hold a special place in the couple's hearts, re-igniting those ever-developing engagement rumours.
Taylor proves time and time again that she is the ultimate supportive girlfriend!
Amidst the 'Red (Taylor's Version)' mania, Swift still took the time to visit her beau on set for his new movie.
Joe is starring in the upcoming film adaptation of Denis Johnson's novel The Stars at Noon, little about the project has been announced.
Margaret Qualley, The Favourite actor's co-star, recently hinted on Instagram that they began shooting the flick in South America.
A post shared by The Tipsy Bird (@thetipsybirdbelfast)
Taylor joined her boyfriend Joe yet again on set as he filmed Conversations with Friends in Northern Ireland this September – the latest Sally Rooney novel given a TV series adaptation.
The 'Evermore' singer was spotted at a gig in a local pub, where she also posed for photos with some of the lucky staff members.
Taylor Swift Wins Album Of The Year | 2021 GRAMMY Awards Show Acceptance Speech
During The Grammys 2021, Taylor made history after scooping the award for Album of the Year for her album ‘Folklore’, making her the first female artist ever to win Album of the Year three times!
In true Tay style, the songstress stayed humble and thankful and even gave her boyfriend a shoutout and thanked him for his constant support, as well as his contribution to the album as he helped to co-write several songs on her Grammy-winning album, under the pseudonym William Bowery.
She said: "I will thank all of my collaborators who are on this stage… I want to thank Justin Vernon, I'm so excited to meet you someday."
"Joe, who is the first person that I play every single song that I write and I had the best time writing songs with you in quarantine," she added, before going on to thank her fans, explaining how "forever honoured" she feels.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Taylor opened up about finding her voice to speak out on matters that meant a lot to her.
She only voiced her political opinion in 2018, something which was documented in the Miss Americana documentary, and three years later she spoke about finding the courage to do so.
“The Trump presidency forced me to lean in and educate myself. I found myself talking about government and the presidency and policy with my boyfriend [actor Joe Alwyn], who supported me in speaking out," Taylor said.
"I started talking to my family and friends about politics and learning as much as I could about where I stand. I’m proud to have moved past fear and self-doubt, and to endorse and support leadership that moves us beyond this divisive, heartbreaking moment in time.”
Rumours Taylor was engaged to boyfriend Joe cropped up every time she gave an interview during their relationship, released a song, or posted a photo on Instagram.
After she released ‘Lover’, which heavily hinted at marriage in its lyrics, Taylor continued to have fans zooming in on her ring finger every time she was pictured from then on.
Her song 'Willow' from surprise album 'Evermore' quickly had fans asking if was confirmation she and Joe secretly got married.
In an interview with Paul McCartney for Rolling Stone magazine, the rock legend asked Taylor about a lyric in ‘Peace’ which reads: “I want to give you a child".
Taylor confessed it’s a song “more rooted in my personal life”, after she spent the majority of her songwriting sessions for ‘Folklore’ finding creativity in books and creating characters.
She recalled: “‘Peace’ is actually more rooted in my personal life. I know you have done a really excellent job of this in your personal life: carving out a human life within a public life, and how scary that can be when you do fall in love and you meet someone, especially if you’ve met someone who has a very grounded, normal way of living.
“I cannot control if there are 20 photographers outside in the bushes and what they do and if they follow our car and if they interrupt our lives. I can’t control if there’s going to be a fake weird headline about us in the news tomorrow.”
Paul asked if her boyfriend Joe “understands” her situation and she responded: “Oh, absolutely.”
⛰
A post shared by Joe Alwyn (@joe.alwyn) on
Taylor and Joe jetted off to Utah once lockdown restrictions eased and the 29-year-old actor posted a rare photo from their adventures, a snap of himself walking through trees overlooking the huge lake.
Joe's superstar girlfriend was the first to like Joe's upload, given that she was probably the one who snapped the candid moment.
According to E! the couple are spent a few days in Utah at Park City before heading home to Nashville where they spent the past few months of quarantine together at Taylor's home.
'William Bowery' is a credited songwriter on Taylor's 'Folklore' album, and Swifties were adamant it's a pseudonym for Joe after searching the internet and finding no traces of a songwriter under such a name.
Taylor later confirmed the fact her boyfriend helped her out with some of the songs, telling Entertainment Weekly Joe inspired her to write 'Betty' from a male perspective.
She said: "He was the one who originally thought of the chorus melody. And hearing him sing it, I thought, 'That sounds really cool.' Obviously, I don't have a male voice, but I thought, 'I could have a male perspective'."
Taylor and Joe surprised fans by turning up at the NME Awards on 12 February at the O2 Academy in Brixton, and the couple were all over each other as they sat at their table amongst the celebrity guests.
They were also caught on camera sharing a sweet kiss!
When the 'London Boy' singer accepted her award she made it clear she was having a wild time, telling the audience: "This is my first time at the NME Awards, and like, I just feel like everyone here is so shy, so reserved. Are you guys having any fun tonight? Are you going to come out of your shells at all?”
Poking fun at the crowd, Taylor added, “Oh, wait no. This is like the craziest award show I’ve ever been to.”
Taylor Swift confirms she's recording all her old music again in AMAs speech
Joe makes a small cameo in Taylor's Miss Americana documentary (which hit Netflix way back in January) where we see the songstress throwing her arms around her beau in one scene, and kissing his hand in the back of a car in another.
Fans are loving that they gained more of a candid glimpse at their relationship in her new Netflix film.
After walking the red carpet separately at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Taylor and Joe were sat together for the Golden Globes ceremony, with a few cameras managing to snap the couple looking completely loved up.
During the evening they were pictured looking totally in love, as the star held her hands to her actor boyfriend's face while they chatted in a complete world of their own at an after party.
They were also photographed chatting intently at their table, with Taylor placing her hand on her beau's leg.
good morning to Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn only pic.twitter.com/Jqox55aTZK
After hosting a 'friendsgiving' dinner party including model Gigi Hadid, Martha Hunt and Queer Eye chef Antoni Porowski, Taylor jetted to the UK for a cosy weekend with her man at Thanksgiving in 2019.
The 'Me!' singer is thought to have remained in the UK from then after she was spotted shopping at Stella McCartney's London store days ahead of headlining Capital's Jingle Bell Ball.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2019, Taylor revealed why she doesn't speak publicly about her romance.
She said: "I’ve learned that if I do [talk about my relationship], people think it’s up for discussion, and our relationship isn’t up for discussion.
“If you and I were having a glass of wine right now, we’d be talking about it—but it’s just that it goes out into the world. That’s where the boundary is, and that’s where my life has become manageable. I really want to keep it feeling manageable.”
For months, reports on the couple were a minimum as they kept their blossoming romance out of the limelight.
But in May 2017 it was reported they had been seeing each other for months, and Taylor had even introduced Joe to her best friends Selena Gomez and Gigi Hadid.
They were also pictured for the first time together as a couple weeks later.
Taylor and Joe allegedly first met in 2016 at the MET Gala, and she even sang about their meeting in her track ‘Dress’ from her 'Reputation' album.
“Flashback to when you met me, your buzzed cut and my hair bleached,” seems to refer to their respective looks on that very evening.
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