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Tom Hiddleston’s romance with Taylor Swift was a very public affair, so the news that the Loki star is engaged to fellow English actress Zawe Ashton has come as a surprise to fans.
As the couple walked the red carpet at the Bafta Awards last week, Zawe made no effort to hide the enormous diamond sparkler on her ring finger.
People and Vanity Fair both reported the couple’s engagement but representatives for the actors have declined to comment.
Tom (41) and Zawe (37) met in New York City when they both made their Broadway debuts in Betrayal in 2019. They walked the red carpet as a couple that same year, at the Tony Awards, and they were later spotted holidaying together in Ibiza and exchanging kisses.
They’ve been keeping their relationship out of the spotlight and they rarely speak about each other in interviews, but they have great chemistry, said a source close to the couple.
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“In public they were very private, but behind the scenes [on Betrayal] you could just see a lovely chemistry,” the source recalls. “They both had twinkles in their eyes and the entire company, including co-star Charlie Cox, was very close.”
Charlie and Tom are veterans of Marvel Studios movies and TV shows and Zawe is set to join them, having been cast in The Marvels, next year’s sequel to Captain Marvel. Tom played Loki in the Thor and The Avengers films as well as in the streaming series, Loki, while Charlie played Daredevil in the Netflix series and last year’s movie, Spider-Man No Way Home.
“Being Brits abroad, Zawe and Tom would hang out frequently. They showed great affection for each other and you could also see that coming off slightly in their onstage performance,” the source added.
This isn’t Tom’s first romance with a fellow actor. He dated British actress Susanna Fielding from 2008 to 2011 and had a brief, but very public, fling with singer Taylor Swift in 2016.
After his high-profile romance with Taylor, the Marvel star defended his right to privacy and said, “Everyone is entitled to a private life. I love what I do and I dedicate myself with absolute commitment to making great art and great entertainment and in my mind I don’t conflict the two. My work is in the public sphere and I have a private life,” he said. “And those two things are separate.”
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While the Brits are publicity shy, they are very affectionate, said a source.
“Behind the scenes, they would be affectionate and hugging and sitting next to each other and holding hands.”
The stars also love to let loose and rock out with friends, whether it’s at a house party or heading to a local bar or restaurant. “They’re crazy about each other,” the source said, adding that their friends and family “all agree it’s a great match with a ton of potential”.
The duo, who live together in Atlanta, in the US, undoubtedly make a Marvel-ous couple!
Sources: dailymail.co.uk, people.com, eonline.com, usmagazine.com
