Everyone Tom Holland Dated Before Falling For Zendaya

Rumors that Holland and his Spider-Man costar Zendaya were dating began flying as early as July 2017, despite the pair claiming they were purely platonic at the time. Holland and Zendaya humorously denied rumors they had vacationed together in July 2017, with Zendaya tweeting, “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 responded, “Does the press tour count?”

The pair’s denials didn’t stop speculation, however, with reports that they were simply trying to keep their relationship under wraps adding fuel to the fires of speculation. “They started seeing each other while they were filming Spider-Man,” a source told People in July 2017. “They’ve been super careful to keep it private and out of the public eye…” A now-deleted Instagram comment made by Zendaya’s close friend Skai Jackson’s mother, Kiya Cole, in September 2018 is believed to have confirmed the rumors as well. After JustJared posted about Zendaya celebrating her 22nd birthday with her “rumored real-life boyfriend” and a fan mocked the caption, Cole responded with, “Yes. It’s true. They been on the low for a while.”

Holland and Zendaya continued to laugh off the rumors, with Holland posting an Instagram soon after Cole’s comment insisting Zendaya was just a “mate.”

When Zendaya began dating her “Euphoria” costar Jacob Elordi in August 2019, fans wondered if, perhaps, the Spider-Man costars had been telling the truth about their friendly status the whole time, but Zendaya’s relationship with Elordi ended after a few months, and by July 2021, Holland and Zendaya dating rumors were back, courtesy of the pair having been spotted kissing in a car.

They have been dating happily ever since. But Holland told GQ in November 2021 that they would continue to stay as private as possible about their relationship, particularly when it comes to discussing it in interviews. “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 . . . We sort of felt robbed of our privacy,” he told GQ. “It’s not a conversation that I can have without her. I respect her too much . . . 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.”

But fans don’t need interviews to peep Holland and Zendaya’s chemistry. The pair hit the red carpet for his movie “Uncharted” together in February 2022 (pictured above), and he was regularly spotted visiting her in Boston as she filmed her movie “Challengers,” per E! News.

Recently, though, it seems the two have been getting more comfortable showing off their romance. In March 2023, Zendaya was spotted wearing a ring with Holland’s initials on it, and the following month, they had a date night at Usher’s concert in Las Vegas. In May 2023, they also attended game two of the NBA’s Western Conference semifinals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors.

Holland was linked to family friend Olivia Bolton in July 2019 when the two were photographed getting cozy at London’s Hyde Park, per Elle. Though they never actually confirmed a romance, it’s reported they split in April 2020.

Another rumored relationship for Holland was with fellow actor Ella Purnell, with whom he got pretty cozy at the BAFTA afterparty in February 2017. According to The Sun, the two were attached at the hip following the event (where Holland won the rising star award) and may have even left together.

A source claimed, “Tom and Ella were very close inside the Weinstein party and it looked really obvious that he was taken by her,” noting he was “leading her around the dance floor by the hand.” Nothing more was ever heard about this maybe-couple after the party, so it may have been a one-night romance.

Though Holland never confirmed the relationship, he reportedly had a long-term romance with childhood sweetheart Elle Lotherington. Back in June 2015, when it was first announced that he had landed the role of Spider-Man, Lotherington tweeted, “Couldn’t be a more proud girlfriend right now. Tom Holland, I love you. #spiderman.”

Holland also once shared a story in an interview about attempting the “Spider-Man kiss” with an old girlfriend, and we can only imagine Lotherington is the mystery lady he was referring to. However, the two unfollowed each other on Instagram in May 2016, so it seems they decided to go their separate ways.