By now, you'll have likely heard that Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn have sadly called time on their six-year relationship. The news broke on the 8th of April after sources close to the former couple spoke to Entertainment Tonight to confirm that the two had split up a few weeks prior.
While the Grammy winner and Conversations With Friends actor are well known for keeping their relationship and personal lives to themselves, their break up has also been encased in privacy. Which of course, we completely understand and respect.
However, due to the pair being one of the most famous celeb couples around, there has been speculation regarding the real reason they called it quits, mainly from sources suggesting what could have happened.
Speaking to ET - and one of the first sources to speak out about the break-up - the insider revealed that "it was not dramatic."
"The relationship had just run its course. It's why [Alwyn] hasn't been spotted at any shows," they continued, referencing Joe's absence from Taylor's current sold-out Eras world tour.
According to a friend who spoke to People last month, the 32-year-old was actually meant to be travelling with the Lavendar Haze singer during the tour whenever his schedule allowed.
"Joe will travel with her when he can," they said at the time, before adding how they're "great together" and that "Joe is super supportive of her career."
The publication also independently confirmed the split via a further source close to the two, sighting "differences in their personalities" as the catalyst.
"They've had rough patches before and always worked things out, so friends thought they would take some time apart but eventually come back together," the source said, noting that "ultimately" the pair "weren't the right fit for one another."
Amid this, the source also revealed aspects of Taylor and Joe's relationship way before the split, explaining that they had "plenty in common and fell in love in a safe bubble while she was retreating from the world during Reputation" - the 33-year-old's 2017 studio album.
Following this, the pandemic hit, which according to the insider saw them "locked down together and able to continue growing their relationship in this insulated way." During this period, the couple reportedly bonded over their shared passions for music and art and ended up co-writing (and producing) 10 songs together.
Appearing as William Bowery on the credits, Joe's collaborations include six songs on 2020's Folklore, three on Evermore - the surprise sister album she released less than five months later, plus 'Sweet Nothing' on Midnights. Thanks to these writing sessions, Joe ended up winning the Grammy for Album of the Year after Folklore took home the prestigious award.
Despite these achievements and quality time the pair spent together, the insider added that Joe "didn't really 'know' her yet outside of that bubble."
More so, it seems the couple weren't aligned to have a future together, with the source adding that "Taylor didn't see them working out in the long run."
Even though the word of the split wasn't the happiest piece of news to wake up to over the bank holiday, the insider insists that Taylor and Joe "are friendly," and that the Anti-Hero singer "doesn't have anything bad to say" about him.
"They just grew apart," they continued. "Taylor is staying very focused on her tour right now."
