Why Did Taylor Swift and Actor Joe Alwyn Break Up? Inside the Unraveling of Their Relationship

As her recent engagement to NFL star Travis Kelce continues to make waves across social media, fans may forget about Taylor Swift’s last long-term relationship — the six-year coupling with British actor Joe Alwyn. Let’s take a look back at what caused the former flames to finally call it quits.

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn initially began dating in 2017 and kept their budding relationship largely under wraps for a year, before making things Instagram official in May 2018.

In April 2023, Taylor and Joe formally announced their breakup after six years together, citing "differences in their personalities” that became “harder to ignore after years together,” according to People.

"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," a source told the outlet at the time, adding that "ultimately," the pair "weren't the right fit for one another."

Additionally, Joe lived a considerably more private life and he “struggled with Taylor's level of fame and the attention from the public." The source also stated that "Taylor didn't see them working out in the long run," and they had essentially "grown apart."

Following the news of their breakup, Taylor and Joe both took different approaches to addressing it. As usual, Taylor opted to subliminally talk about the end of their relationship via song lyrics in her music — while Joe stayed true to form and has never publicly discussed their breakup.

Almost six months after her relationship with Joe ended, Taylor and Travis Kelce sparked dating rumors in the summer of 2023. By September, she began showing up to Kansas City Chiefs games regularly as the couple made things official.

Meanwhile, Joe has continued to keep his personal life very private since the split with Taylor and has not been publicly linked or seen with anyone since.

"Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” the caption of the post read, which featured a series of photos of the two in a garden surrounded by dozens of flowers.

Per People, Travis popped the question with an engagement ring he designed with Kindred Lubeck of Artifex Fine Jewelry — which is an "old mine brilliant cut," that is prominently displayed in the couple’s engagement photos.

A source shared with the outlet an insight into the details of the proposal. "The proposal was so them. It was beautiful, yet simple and in a way also casual," the source said. "That's how they started out — simple, casual dates to get to know each other in private."

"He was nervous if she'd like it," the insider added of Travis’s feelings before proposing. "He was pretty nervous about the whole proposal, but so excited. He's very happy everyone knows now. It was a big secret to keep quiet."