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Zendaya has said that having a significant other in show business wasn't a must for her. But it doesn't hurt, either. "It's definitely helpful," the Challengers star, who is nominated for a 2025 Golden Globe for her role in the film, told Cardi B in a 2018 chat for CR Fashion Book .
"There's just certain things in our lives that's hard for people to understand if they don't live it. Like if I have to explain what a call time is or why I have to start glam early. I'm not just sitting around all day.
" By the time of that interview, fans' Spidey senses had already been tingling when it came to Zendaya's love life, the evidence seemingly piling up that she was romantically involved with her Spider-Man: Homecoming costar Tom Holland , whose job was to go to work every day and act like Peter Parker was head over heels for his pal MJ. "We are friends," Zendaya insisted to Variety in 2017, denying the web of dating speculation. "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.
" However, their meet-cute at a chemistry read didn’t get off to the most marvel-ous start. “He says when we first met it was super awkward because he went for a handshake and I went for a hug,” Zendaya added to the outlet. “But I don’t remember that.
I thought it was cool.” Though she admits she had her concerns. “I was worried because he’s so much shorter than me,” the Euphoria star continued.
“I was like, ‘Damn it! It’s going to be weird because I’m super tall.’ But then we ended up doing the audition sitting. So that was good.
” Zendaya and Holland, both 28, may have started out as costars braving the Marvel Cinematic Universe together. But fast-forward through their epic Lip Sync Battle faceoff in 2017 and another Spider-Man film— Far from Home —two years later, and they were far from just friends by the time the third movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home , hit theaters in December 2021. And more than three years since they proved that all the chemistry radiating from the screen was the real deal , their relationship has shown no signs of cooling off.
Well, except for that short period of time where breakup rumors filled the void between sightings. But Zendaya—who was in London over the summer supporting Holland during his leading man run on the West End in Romeo & Juliet— doesn't believe that a couple has to be joined at the hip. "A healthy relationship does not mean you need to be with that person 24/7," she noted in a January 2017 blog post titled "How I Survived a Broken Heart.
" That's right, once upon a time there was some guy who broke up with Zendaya after four years together and, in her words, "It wasn't a good ending." But, as she told Vogue in 2017, "You know you're OK in a breakup when your first thought is not, What did I do wrong? It's, That was the dumbest decision of your life, and you're going to regret it forever." That is most likely the case.
Better yet, though, the split paved the way for her best friend and costar to swoop in and prove himself. "With anybody you're with," Zendaya told Cardi B , "you have to have a layer of respect, courtesy, understanding, and tolerance. It's also important to have somebody who makes you laugh.
If someone can't make me laugh, then that's wack. And not just kind of laugh, but pee-my-pants laugh." She expanded upon what she valued in a person in February 2021, about five months before she and Holland (whose father is a stand-up comedian, FWIW) went public .
"'Kindness' is kind of not the best way to describe it," the Dune star told Vanity Fair , "but some people are just good people, and you can just feel it." Ultimately, she concluded, "There's this little spark they have, or this little special thing that they have, that just you feel safe and happy around them. I don't know what that is, but some people have it, and it's special.
'" While Zendaya and Holland hadn’t wanted to publicly share their spark for each other just yet, they found themselves forced to do so after the paparazzi photographed them kissing in a car that July. “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,” the English actor told GQ in a cover story published four months later, adding, “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 .
” Zendaya agreed all the attention can be “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..
..” she continued.
“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.” And like Zendaya, Holland appreciates having a partner who understands the particularities of their chosen professions. "I'm lucky that I have someone like Zendaya in my life," the English actor said on a July 2023 episode of Jason Bateman , Sean Hayes and Will Arnett 's Smartless podcast .
"It's interesting being in a romantic relationship with someone that is in the same boat as you." He added, "You can share your experiences and all that sort of stuff—and that's worth its weight in gold." Speaking of precious metals, ring watchers may be impatient to find out whether they are, in fact, endgame, but Holland and Zendaya have been consciously keeping as much of their relationship to themselves as possible, while also amiably acknowledging they're a thing.
"Our relationship is something that we are incredibly protective of and we want to keep as sacred as possible," Holland told The Hollywood Reporter in June 2023. "We don't think that we owe it to anyone, it's our thing, and it has nothing to do with our careers." Zendaya concurred, telling Elle around the same time, "Parts of my life, I accept, are going to be public.
I can't not be a person and live my life and love the person I love. But also, I do have control over what I choose to share." And choosing what to share includes deciding when they want to appear on red carpets together.
So don’t be surprised if Zendaya arrives at the 2025 Golden Globes solo. “It’s not my moment, it’s her moment,” Holland recently explained to Men’s Health about attending her public events, “and if we go together, it’s about us .” They've said it all for now.
But since pictures can be worth a thousand words, go ahead and marvel at Zendaya and Holland's romance in photos: May 2024: In Fair Verona Zendaya supported Tom after the debut of his play Romeo and Juliet in London, where the pair were seen holding hands following the show. April 2024: All Smiles The two enjoyed a night out in London. Tom unveiled this beauty for his 27th birthday, joking on Instagram, "A gift from me to you.
I thought I'd share possibly the sexiest picture ever taken of me!" Zendaya was into it, reacting with a heart-eye emoji. Zendaya shared this sweet shot of her boyfriend enjoying the water in honor of his birthday. The actress, in a custom Valentino gown, and Tom, in a Prada suit, posed for pictures at the premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home in Los Angeles.
Tom and Zendaya spoke during SiriusXM Radio's Town Hall with the cast of Spider-Man: No Way Home in New York City. The two attended a photo call for Spider-Man: No Way Home at The Old Sessions House in London. The duo appeared at the after-party for the premiere of Spider-Man: Far From Home in Hollywood, Calif.
The Spider-Man: Homecoming stars spoke onstage at the award show in Los Angeles. Tom and Zendaya attended a photo call for Spider-Man: Homecoming in Madrid. Tom and Zendaya shared a laugh during the Marvel panel event at San Diego Comic-Con International 2016 in San Diego, Calif.
This story was originally published Sept. 1, 2024 at 7:00 a.m.
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