But one A-list couple who never cease to disappoint are the internet’s favourite transatlantic duo Tom Holland and Zendaya.
Since their first paparazzi-captured kiss in 2021, the couple have kept much of their relationship under wraps, aside from Holland’s charming habit of reposting Zendaya’s photos on Instagram Stories with a heart-eyes emoji.
Over time, though, they’ve become a bit more open about their romance. Now it appears the pair are engaged. Rumours first swirled in January when Zendaya appeared at the Golden Globes sporting a diamond ring on her left ring finger. The news seemed to be confirmed by Holland’s father, Dominic Holland, who divulged the behind the scenes on his Patreon blog.
“Tom, as you know by now, was very incredibly well prepared,” Dominic wrote, “He had purchased a ring. He had spoken with her father and gained permission to propose to his daughter. Tom had everything planned out … When, where, how, what to say, what to wear.”
Then multiple sources were said to have confirmed to US news outlet People that the Holland had popped the question “a while ago”, before sharing the news with family over the new year.
From friends to lovers, here’s a complete timeline of Holland and Zendaya’s journey.
2016: Tom Holland and Zendaya are cast as co-stars in the reboot of the Spider-Man franchise
AP
In March 2016, news breaks that Holland and Zendaya had been cast as the renowned couple Peter Parker and MJ in Marvel’s reboot of the Spider-Man franchise.
The first film in the series, Spider-Man: Homecoming, begins production in June 2016 and is released in July 2017.
2017: They jokingly deny dating rumours during the Spider-Man press tour
Getty Images
While on the road promoting their new film, rumours begin to swirl about a possible romance between Zendaya and Holland. But the co-stars take to social media to shut down the whispers.
In response to a tweet that suggests the pair have gone on holiday together, Zendaya writes jokingly, “Wait wait…my favorite is when it says we go on vacations together HA! I haven’t been on a vacation in years!hbu @TomHolland1996 ???”
Holland replies: “Does the press tour count.”
August 2017: Holland and Zendaya open up about their friendship, but still deny a romance
PA
Shortly before the premiere of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Holland tells People how Zendaya has helped him navigate the spotlight. “We are like the best of friends. She’s so great and amazing,” he says of his American co-star.
“I’m a little worried [about dealing with fame … but] Zendaya is super famous and she’s been through this and I just call her up and say, ‘How do I manage being famous?’ I’m very glad I have a friend like her,” he adds.
In August 2017, the Euphoria star tells Variety she and Holland were not dating. “We are friends,” she says. “He’s a great dude. He’s literally one of my best friends. This past how many months we’ve had to do press tours together. There’s very few people that will understand what that’s like at 20 years old.”
2019–20: Zendaya reportedly dates Jacob Elordi
AbacaPress / SplashNews.com
Zendaya reportedly starts dating her Euphoria costar Jacob Elordi in 2019. The two are first spotted cosying up to each other during an outing in New York.
In August, the pair are photographed on holiday in Greece. In a picture shared by one Instagram user on holiday, the couple are seen in the background enjoying a trip to the Acropolis of Athens.
July 2021: Paparazzi photos show Zendaya and Tom kissing in a car in LA
Five years after first collaborating on Spider-Man, it appears their romance is finally blossoming.
In July 2021, paparazzi photos emerge of the two kissing in a car while at a red light. Others show them leaving Zendaya’s mother’s house in LA.
August 2021: They attend a friend’s wedding as each other’s dates
Though they hadn’t made any comment about their relationship status, the pair are seen attending a friend’s wedding together, looking very much as though they are each other’s dates. Internet sleuths find photos from the event where they can be seen sitting with their heads leaning against each other.
September 2021: The couple go Instagram official
For the actress’s 25th birthday, Holland posts a sweet tribute on Instagram featuring a behind-the-scenes film photo of their time on the Spider-Man set.
“My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays,” he writes in the caption. “Gimme a call when your up xxx.”
“Calling now♥️,” Zendaya replied just a few hours later.
November 2021: Tom Holland opens up about his relationship with Zendaya
Zendaya Instagram
In an interview with GQ, Holland speaks candidly about his relationship with Zendaya.
“One of the downsides of our fame is that privacy isn’t really in our control anymore, and a moment that you think is between two people that love each other very much is now a moment that is shared with the entire world,” he says.
“I’ve always been really adamant to keep my private life private, because I share so much of my life with the world anyway. We sort of felt robbed of our privacy.”
Asked whether the couple were ready to go public with their romance, he responds: “I don’t think it’s about not being ready. It’s just that we didn’t want to.”
“It’s not a conversation that I can have without her,” he continues. “You know, I respect her too much to say… This isn’t my story. It’s our story. And we’ll talk about what it is when we’re ready to talk about it together.”
In a separate interview, Zendaya also comments about the pair’s privacy. “It was quite strange and weird and confusing and invasive. The equal sentiment [we both share] is just that when you really love and care about somebody, some moments or things, you wish were your own.… I think loving someone is a sacred thing and a special thing and something that you want to deal with and go through and experience and enjoy amongst the two people that love each other.”
December 2021: The couple talk about their height difference on the Graham Norton Show
BBC/Graham Norton Show
In December 2021, Zendaya and Holland make a rare public appearance together on the Graham Norton Show. In a now-viral clip, they share a sweet moment laughing about how their height difference affected the filming of their upcoming Spider-Man film.
They explain how their characters are supposed to land on a bridge together simultaneously but given their height difference, they couldn’t.
“I would land before him,” Zendaya tells Norton.
“So Zendaya would land. And I’m the superhero, I’m supposed to look cool. And I would land and my feet would swing from underneath me and then she would catch me”.
The pair then demonstrate to the audience the mechanics of the catch, with Zendaya saying to Holland: “You were actually very lovely about it. You would be like ‘Oh my gosh, thank you’.”
December 2021: They appear on red carpets together while promoting the final Spider-Man film
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
While on the press tour for the third film in the Spider-Man reboot, Spider-Man: No Way Home, the couple make various stylish appearances together on the red carpet.
They are photographed together in London on December 5 together looking very cosy, with Zendaya in a dazzling Alexander McQueen oversized embellished blazer.
December 2021: Zendaya shares an adorable Instagram post of Tom
“My Spider-Man,” she writes. “I’m so proud of you, some things never change and good thing♥”.
March 2023: The couple wear each other’s initials
In March 2023, eagle-eyed fans spot the actors wearing each other’s initials in recent outings.
During a nail appointment, Zendaya is seen wearing a signet ring featuring Holland’s initials in a video shared by her manicurist on Instagram.
March 2023: Zendaya and Tom show off their date night fashion in London
The pair pose for photos with London restaurant Jamavar’s executive chef Surender Mohan at the end of March 2023 and show off their date night fashion.
April 2023: They are spotted on couple trips to Mumbai and London
Tracy Borman
Zendaya and Holland are spotted arriving at the Mumbai airport together and embark on a yacht outing. They are seen on the Instagram account of Blue Bay Marine, a yacht charter service, which captions a group photo with the actors, “Hosted Zendaya & Tom on our yacht.”
Later that month, the couple visit Hampton Court Palace. In photos shared by the Queen Anne Boleyn Society on Instagram, the couple pose with historians Tracy Borman and James Peacock during a palace tour.
Historian Tracy Borman shares photos with Tom Holland and Zendaya
Tracy Borman
Instagram/Zendaya
On Holland’s 27th birthday, Zendaya shares some loving snaps of him to her Instagram story.
In the first picture, Holland makes a heart gesture with his hands as he swims in the sea. In the second, Holland smiles for the camera as he poses on a shoreline, with Zendaya adding a heart-eyes emoji in the corner.
June 2023: Tom talks about being “happy and in love” with Zendaya
Getty Images
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Holland jokes about having limited “rizz” while discussing his relationship.
“I have no rizz whatsoever. I have limited rizz,” he tells the website. “I need you to fall in love with me, really, for it to work. So, long game. Probably making a movie with each other. Definitely helps when the characters you’re playing are falling in love with one another—you can sort of blur the lines a little bit. That’s kind of where my rizz is at. And I’m, you know, I’m locked up, so I’m happy and in love. So I’ve got no need for rizz.”
July 2023: Tom says he’s “lucky” to act with Zendaya
During an appearance on the SmartLess podcast, Holland says his shared experiences with Zendaya in the acting world have benefited their relationship.
“I’m lucky that I have someone like Zendaya in my life,” he tells the hosts. “It’s interesting being in a romantic relationship with someone that is in the same boat as you.”
Holland add:, “You can share your experiences and all that sort of stuff. And that’s worth its weight in gold.”
September 2023: Zendaya and Tom serenade each other at Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour
The couple are among the hordes of celebrities at Beyoncé’s LA show on September 4, which marked the singer’s 42nd birthday.
A video shows the couple freezing in sync during Beyoncé’s onstage mute challenge during her performance of Energy.
February 2024: Zendaya and Tom attend the Dune: Part Two after-party.
Zendaya at the Dune 2 world premiere in AW95 Mugler couture
Getty Images for Warner Bros. Pi
The couple are captured holding hands and smiling leaving the Dune: Part Two world premiere after-party in London, coordinated in monochromatic black outfits.
In a viral TikTok, Holland protects Zendaya from the cameras as they leave the event.
February 2024: Zendaya praises Tom’s ‘rizz’
When asked in a BuzzFeed interview who in the Dune: Part Two cast has the most rizz, Zendaya jokingly replies: “Me. Hello?” before saying: “I don’t know. ‘Rizz’ is short for charisma, right? Everybody’s kind of got their own.”
She then gushes about Holland. “I think someone who has beautiful charisma, not on the Dune cast, but I personally — works for me — is Mr. Tom Holland,” she says. “I’m more shy and kind of quiet, so it takes a little bit more to pull me out of my shell. But he’s great at just talking to people and getting to know people. You see him on talk shows and stuff like that. He’s just naturally very good at that. Whereas for me, I’ve definitely had to pull it out of me a little bit. So, he’s got that natural gift.”
March 2024: Tom and Zendaya are spotted at Indian Wells together
Later in the day, the actress posed for photos with women’s champion Iga Swiatek, who had triumphed over Maria Sakkari, and congratulated her on the victory.
Zendaya was rocking what appeared to be an engagement ring at the Golden Globes
Getty Images
Although neither Zendaya nor Holland has publicly confirmed or denied the engagement, US outlets including People magazine, have reported that the British actor proposed over the Christmas holidays.
Adding fuel to the speculation, Forbes highlighted that Zendaya, as a brand ambassador, is contractually required to wear only Bulgari jewellery during red carpet events. The sole exception to this rule, according to industry insiders, is typically for engagement rings, making her choice of accessory all the more significant.