Tom Holland’s Girlfriends: Dating Zendaya & His Past Relationships
Tom Holland is currently wrapped up in romance with Zendaya, but he’s been with other actresses (and low-key flames) before. Here we break down his dating history & the women he’s swooned.
English-born actor Tom Holland began his career in entertainment as a dancer before moving on to acting. The 25-year-old Brit was originally best known as playing the title character in Billy Elliot the Musical before he was officially named the new Spider-Man in 2015. The actor then made a breakthrough with his performance in the first installment of what turned out to be three Spider-Man films. Now, ahead of the Spider-Man: No Way Home premiere, fans are wondering all about Tom Holland again, including the details of his personal life.
The young performer is known to be pretty low-key about his love life, staying tight-lipped about the details of his relationships. He did, however, reveal in a 2019 Elle magazine interview that he was “definitely a relationship person,” adding, “I’m not the fleeting type at all; it’s not my way of life.”
So who has Tom dated? Below we break down all of the British star’s loves, from his current girlfriend, actress Zendaya, to his past flames, both serious and not.
Zendaya
Sparks originally flew between Tom and his Spider-Man love interest, actress Zendaya, back in 2017, when the pair were rumored to be together. Neither party confirmed a romance, however, and often mocked the idea of being a couple, with Zendaya laughing about gossip about their going on “vacations” together, tweeting, “Wait wait…my favorite is when it says we go on vacations together HA! I haven’t been on a vacation in years!”
The pair, however, then began to share their love with the world, first caught kissing in July 2021 and then sharing a sweet Instagram shot together behind-the-scenes of the latest Spider-Man. “My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays,” he wrote for her special day. “Gimme a call when your [sic] up xxx[.]”
Tom also opened up about the romance in an interview with GQ magazine. “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,” Tom explained in the Nov. 2021 interview. “I’ve always been really adamant to keep my private life private because I share so much of my life with the world anyway,” Tom admitted, discussing those steamy car make out photos. “We sort of felt robbed of our privacy. I don’t think it’s about not being ready — it’s just that we didn’t want to [talk about it].”
The couple seem to still be going strong, now taking adorable pics together on the red carpet and looking cuter than ever. We can’t wait to see more photos of them getting cozy!
Elle Lotherington
Tom never officially confirmed the relationship, but he reportedly had a serious romance with childhood sweetheart Elle Lotherington. After it was announced,Tom would be the next Spider-Man, Elle tweeted, “Couldn’t be a more proud girlfriend right now.. Tom Holland, I love you.”
Although not much public information about the couple is out there, they did unfollow each other on social media in May 2016, per The Sun, so it seems they went their separate ways.
Ella Purnell
Tom and Ella Purnell weren’t an official couple, but they did have a rumored romance back in Feb. 2017 after getting quite cozy at BAFTA after party. Tom won the Rising Star award, and was apparently super close with the Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children actress all night. “Tom and Ella were very close inside the Weinstein party and it looked really obvious that he was taken by her,” a source told The Sun at the time, noting that Tom was “leading her around the dance floor by the hand.”
Their linking up appeared to be short-lived, however, as nothing was heard of about the couple again after the London bash.
Olivia Bolton
Though they never actually confirmed a romance, Tom was photographed with his longtime friend Olivia Bolton in London’s Hyde Park neighborhood in July 2019. His fellow Brit, who worked for a digital production company in London, was apparently a family friend with whom Tom began to become affectionate.
“Tom and Olivia’s family have been friends for years but it took some time for Tom and Olivia to realize the connection between them,” a source told The Sun at the time. “Tom’s been dogged with rumors about who he’s dating so finally being public with Olivia has been a massive relief for him. All their friends and family think they make a lovely couple. He is totally smitten.”
The couple, however, decided to call it quits in April 2020. “Tom and Olivia remain very close but decided recently it was best for them to be just friends rather than a couple,” a source told The Sun, per the Daily Mail. “It was all very amicable and they both think it is for the best.”
Nadia Parks
When Tom posted a photo of Doctor Who actress Nadia Parks in July 2020, fans went wild in speculation about their relationship. Although they never confirmed anything official, they did “like” each others’ social media posts for some time, according to POPSUGAR. Whatever sort of romance they may have had, though, was likely short-lived, considering how Tom confirmed his relationship to Zendaya a little less than a year later.
When speaking with Esquire during a Feb. 2021 interview, Tom revealed why he likes to keep his dating life — and breakups — private. “If you were to break up with that person, people will have their own opinions as to why you broke up or whose fault it was,” he told the outlet. “And me being a famous person and having people that love me around the world, if I were to break up with a poor girl, they might think it was her fault. And I wouldn’t want that pressure to be on someone because of me.”