Inside Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift's car-crash romance and their reason for calling it quits as their individual careers have skyrocketed and they leave their past behind
Jessica Clarke Digital Reporter
12:43, 01 Jan 2026Updated 12:43, 01 Jan 2026
Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift were for three brief months one of the hottest couples in showbiz.
Their individual careers have rocketed over the years but there was once a time when their paths collided romantically before their whirlwind relationship came to an incredibly abrupt end.
Taylor and Tom were first spotted out together in June 2016 after she had called time on her 15 month relationship with DJ Calvin Harris. The new pair were spotted looking very cosy during their time together and even met each other's parents.
By that September, the couple were no longer together but it is thought it was "an amicable split". Soon after Taylor began her seven-year relationship with Joe Alwyn.
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At the time it was rumoured that Taylor split from Avengers hunk Tom because of his hunger for attention, however shortly after more claims surfaced that it was in fact Tom who called it off, with claims saying he is “a commitment-phobe who gets bored easily”, according to The Sun.
Their relationship was the talk of the town (and the world) when they were spotted out together and fans were sent into a frenzy when Tom was spotted out on the fourth of July wearing a tank top which read "I ♥ T.S", cementing his love for the singer to the world. The photos from Blake Lively holiday party quickly went viral, with many blasting Tom for the 'cringe' display.
Some time after the split, Tom later opened up on their relationship, and the iconic tank top, with GQ US where he described Taylor as 'generous' and 'amazing'. He told the publication: "Taylor is an amazing woman. She’s generous and kind and lovely, and we had the best time… Of course it was real.”
Setting the story straight, he said about the tank top: “The truth is, it was the Fourth of July and a public holiday and we were playing a game and I slipped and hurt my back. And I wanted to protect the graze from the sun and said, ’Does anyone have a T-shirt?’ And one of her friends said, ’I’ve got this.’ And we all laughed about it. It was a joke. Among friends.”
He added: “I just, I was surprised. I was just surprised that it got so much attention. The tank top became an emblem of this thing.”
While Tom didn't address the reason for their split, he said: "A relationship in the limelight… A relationship always takes work. A relationship in the limelight takes work. And it’s not just the limelight. It’s everything else.”
Tom suggested there is no bad blood (pun intended) between the pair as Tom said: “I only know the woman I met. She’s incredible.”
It is believed that Taylor Swift has several songs about her brief 2016 romance with Tom Hiddleston, primarily from the Reputation era. Fans have speculated that songs including Getaway Car, Gorgeous, Cruel Summer and Illicit Affairs are written about her whirlwind romance with Tom.
Taylor has had a string of high-profile romances, and penned songs about, some of the world's most sought-after bachelors, including British actor Joe Alwyn and American heartthrob Taylor Lautner. Taylor is now set to tie the knot with NFL superstar Travis Kelce following a proposal after two years of dating.
While Tom has been engaged to his partner actress Zawe Ashton since May 2022, five months before she gave birth to their first child.
Tom is now set to be back on our screens as of today as the follow-up series to the acclaimed 2016 BBC spy drama The Night Manager is set to premiere on BBC One and iPlayer on January 1, 2026.
Originally, the show was meant to be a standalone adaptation of the John le Carré novel, but BBC One and Amazon Prime Video officially renewed the show for a second and third season.
The original series saw a former British soldier and the night manager of a luxury hotel, Jonathan Pine (played by Tom Hiddleston) being hired by an intelligence officer to infiltrate the inner circle of a secretive arms dealer without blowing his cover.
Season 2 is not directly based on a John le Carré novel, but builds on his characters with approval from his estate. The series returns nearly a decade after the first, making it a rare long-gap continuation in TV.
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