E: Taylor Swift is obsessed with keeping her romances private, post-Tiddles

2016 GRAMMY Awards Press Room

Yesterday, the Daily Mail had some exclusive photos of Taylor Swift and her new boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, getting onto her private plane. The photos are blurry and you can’t really make out who is doing what (I think Joe is walking behind his queen).

I want to be clear about something: this does not count as “the first photos” of JoeTay. When Taylor wants us to see JoeTay, we will see JoeTay. They will do a pap stroll and everyone will see them. Her lips will be red. She’ll be wearing either a flirty minidress or some super-casual Princess-Diana-On-Her-Honeymoon ensemble. Joe will look charmingly disheveled and he will hold her hand protectively and not look directly into the camera lens. Until we get that pap stroll, we’ll have to make do with this exclusive from E! News, all about how private Taylor is now, which is how E! knows all about it. Here are some highlights:

From London to Nashville to NY: In recent months, the 27-year-old singer has been traveling back and forth between England, where he lives, and Nashville, where her family lives and where she has been recording her new album. In addition, the 26-year-old British film and theater actor has himself traveled to visit Swift in New York—twice—and the two have also kept their visits on the down-low, a source told E! News exclusively Thursday. “Taylor doesn’t even like her neighbors to know when she’s at home,” the source said.

JoeTay only became romantic recently: “Taylor has been doing her own thing and has not been in any exclusive relationship for some time since her last boyfriend,” a third source told E! News exclusively. “She has been working on new music and spending quiet time with her family and friends. She met Joe last year but they haven’t started dating till just recently. They are ‘romantic’ friends. It was her goal to keep it a secret even though it’s all really light still. She barely told any of her friends. She got buried in media being on top of her life during the last relationship, so she tried everything in her power to not have that happen again,” the source said. “She worked very closely with her security team and management to make sure her life going forward was private. All of that madness really affected her.”

She didn’t want to date another actor/celebrity: “She is very protected and is trying to peddle slow with this,” the source said. The two met through mutual friends, E! News had learned. The first source told E! News that when news of Swift and Alwyn’s relationship was made public, “it was a surprise even to some of her inner work circle. She doesn’t want the photos, the hysteria, the speculation. When she’s ready, she’ll talk about it. Don’t expect this to play out like her other relationships. She’s taking it seriously and keeping her private life separate.”

She takes pains to avoid the paps: “Taylor went to great lengths to keep their relationship private and out of the spotlight while [she and Alwyn] have been getting to know one another. She has made several trips to see him, but always flies in and out on a private jet with lots of security and has been flying into very small and remote airports. Taylor and Joe have really tried to be on lockdown and have spent most of their time together in private locations where they could get to know each other without the pressure of a public relationship and people making judgment calls,” the source added. The first source said Swift has been “cutting a lot of negative friends out of her life and distancing herself from a lot of the staff around her.”

[From E! News]

Sprinkled throughout this story, there are sideways references to Tom Hiddleston and the Glorious Tiddlebanging of 2016. The story being pushed, it seems, is that Tiddles became too big, too fast and that was never Taylor’s desire – she’s a simple girl from Pennsylvania and Tom did her wrong by being such a famewhore. That’s the current storyline. And if you believe that, I have a “I Heart TS” shirt for you too. As for JoeTay and when they really started their Secret and Super-Private JoeTaying, I think this is some late clean-up on the analysis done by People Mag and LaineyGossip, which is that JoeTay started happening a month after Tiddles died. Taylor wants us to know that she was “just friends” with Joe at first and they only became romantic in the past few months. Sure.

LCM Autumn/Winter 2016 - Burberry - Arrivals

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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84 Responses to “E: Taylor Swift is obsessed with keeping her romances private, post-Tiddles”

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  1. Nicole says:

    Righttttttttt. Not buying what you are selling girl. But I see the narratives we are going with. This NEW Taylor (iteration 5 or 6?) is all about low key and no drama. Except we know that’s a lie

  2. QueenB says:

    Sure and this super private long term relationships just becomes public when she is preparing to release her new album! What a coincidence!

    Of course she will have to change up some things, her super public love life that no other A-List celeb lives like that was a running gag and basically outplayed.

    • Phaedra says:

      What new album?
      It’s not out till probably December or next year sometime.

      • Alleycat says:

        They’ve already had her sources say she’s releasing a new single this summer and a new album this fall. This rollout happens every album, let’s not pretend it doesn’t. Also, these photos were definitely approved by her team, in an effort to look like they’re being private. Why would paparazzi know where/when she was at a small airport in England, otherwise? This is the beginning of her new “private image” rollout.

      • Etienne says:

        Oh, hope it’s not TOO “private image.” Figuring out which popstar jerk she was writing about was half the fun of listening to her songs!

  3. Jeesie says:

    Lol, she brings a sizeable security team with her to her NY apartment building. Every single person in the building would be very aware of her comings and goings.

    • Phaedra says:

      Well she kinda has to right? She is the biggest pop star in the world. She needs security.

      • Alyse says:

        I think the point is that her neighbours would know when Taylor’s in the building.

      • Kitty says:

        lol I’m sorry but she’s not the biggest pop star in the world. Also even in Britney’s prime today’s celebs can’t match that fame.

    • jetlagged says:

      I chortled at the speculation that Tay was actually hiding in a very large case that her bodyguards carried very carefully in and out of her NY building on a number of occasions in the last few months. The very idea is ridiculous, over the top, and yet is also something I can actually envision Taylor coming up with in order to stay out of the public eye to preserve the “I’m so private now” storyline.

  4. Guest says:

    Why can’t Hiddleston just appear with a georgeous no name woman and sparkle engagement rumours? Yes, he was thirsty as hell but obviously it was her who wanted to travel around? So now Miss Swift blames her ex again? Can’t believe that Hiddleston spoke positively about her. She is not owning the world, so burry her. Harris was petty, yes, but at least he told the world what he thought of her. Hiddleston and every other ex are cowards. And as for Medusa, I hope everything blows up in her smuggy face. Never understood how such a bland face became so famous. And what the eff did every guy ever see in her?

    • Anya says:

      Hiddles is a wimpy noodle, nothing new here.

    • lightpurple says:

      Don’t sink to her petty, juvenile level.

    • browniecakes says:

      There has to be non disclosure agreements involved in dating her. Taylor is just pulling focus away from Swish Swish, Katy Perry’s new song. Any time an ex or an arch enemy pulls focus, Taylor appears.

      • Jaii says:

        With how badly Katy’s singles are selling I wonder if she wouldn’t mind it being buried , and forgotten from memory

      • Nanny to the Rescue says:

        Calvin’s petty attacks last year kinda prove there were no non disclosure agreements … Or at least they were not written well. Since her and Tom started before Calvin went full in, she couldn’t have fixed the NDA before dating him. But now, who knows?

      • jetlagged says:

        Maybe Calvin had enough and figured the very large check he might have to write for violating his NDA would be worth it.

      • Nanny to the Rescue says:

        Yes, that’s what I covered with an NDA not written well. If there is a possibility of financial punishment, it has to be proportionate to the man’s wealth. Like bail. 😀

    • browniecakes says:

      Maybe Tom IS dating. Maybe he is the one who can keep it private.

    • detritus says:

      I dunno. She’s blonde and slender with fake breasts, young, famous, powerful and wealthy. Also calculating self centred snake.

      The second part takes a bit to realize I bet, I’ll consider that they snapped out of it at all as testament to their moral fibre.

    • spidey says:

      Personally I prefer Tom’s dignified silence post-Taylor. Just a pity he messed up last year. I would think less of him if he was publicly critical of her now.

  5. Portia says:

    Lol! Uh huh. Private. Sure. I’m sure her die-hard fans will believe this spin but the general public sees her tactics. Sure, Taylor. Sure, you’re private. Also “romantic friends”? I thought that was called a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Lol romantic friends hahaha! Who comes up with this stuff?

  6. lightpurple says:

    Sure, girl. Because a Brit who probably never heard of Rhode Island before knew enough to call paps and tell them precisely on which rock on a beach in the Watch Hill section of Westerly you could be found at a specific time.

    • LittlestRoman says:

      Exactly. *sarcasm font engaged* It’s also really weird that paparazzi are apparently covering every square inch of rural Suffolk and random strip malls in suburban LA. Who knew?

    • spidey says:

      Hey, are you calling us Brits geographically challenged? Of course we have heard of Rhode Island and we even know where it is . It’s where the red hens come from!😀

      • third ginger says:

        Just wanted to say HI. So weary of this topic.

      • spidey says:

        Hi my dear – you and me both. It got past boring before the end of the year. People need to get over it, I’m sure Tom has.

  7. Lolo86lf says:

    I wish she stopped using her boyfriends as publicity stunts. If she really is using her relationships for famewhoring she is going to end up getting hurt. Actually she is already getting blasted by the media and she has been branded a boy/man-crazy girl.

    • milla says:

      Well men do it. Leo does it. He is Oscar winning actor and no one cares that he dates supermodels and always has pap strolls with blondes on bikes…

      • Alleycat says:

        @Milla ??? Leo gets so much slack for doing that. Just like Taylor does. Leo, however, does not write blind items about the guys and then puts clues in his songs so fans know who he’s talking about. Or talks about being a victim in great detail. So no, you really can’t compare the two.

    • seesittellsit says:

      @Kiki86If – you do know there is a very good reason Swift wants her romances with men in front of the public, right?

  8. Yira says:

    I mean if i was young and attractive i would date a guy for a week then trash him. Good for her on dating all these men

  9. akua says:

    In other news, do you guys know Taylor won part of her sexual assault or it does not fit Taylor crazy be antics, jk…like I said good luck joe

    • jetlagged says:

      Part of the lawsuit was dismissed, on a technicality. The judge ruled the statute of limitations had expired on the slander portions of the suit, not that they were without merit.

      The tortious interference claim is still moving forward.

      The judge, out of an abundance of fairness to the DJ imo, actually called the central facts of the case – the assault itself – a “close question”. Meaning, I think, that there is enough evidence on both sides that a jury could decide for either party. A classic case of “he said, she said”.

  10. ElleBee says:

    K girl K.

  11. Alp says:

    LOL @ how often she makes them use “low-key”.

    • justme says:

      “Low-key” has been used in every article about the new super private Taylor – yeah no shade against someone she used to go out with. Meanwhile nobody has seen famewh*re Tom in a long time, not even a twitter sighting getting coffee or going for a run. Possibly not coincidentally IW is filming outside of Atlanta.

      • Secret squirrel says:

        Tom can’t be seen out and about with that massive knife in his back.

  12. Zuzus Girl says:

    Why does her hair always looks like a bad 1960’s acrylic wig?

    • Phaedra says:

      Yeah, I love her but her hair is constantly pretty bad.

    • detritus says:

      I think it’s because it’s her real hair. A wig would be better.

      • Phaedra says:

        Nah not really, I mean I sort of love that her hair is bad most times, makes her seem more real somehow. I don’t like when people peole llook overly perfect . She’s beautiful anyway and I think the short bob is adorable.

      • detritus says:

        That may be the difference, I respect her business acumen, but think she’s probably a horrible person.
        I’m mostly surprised because it’s one of the few things left that isn’t manicured into sterility, I do also prefer it to fake hair. It’s nice to see something real.

  13. OhDear says:

    She doth protest too much about being private.

  14. Chingona says:

    Does she think that she is proving to the world how private she is? In reality she is proving that all the other romances were PR that she orchastrated. She uses her relationship to make and sell music, just be honest Taylor and stop acting like a victim. I actually like her music and embarrass my kids singing along to her. I just don’t like her tactics.

  15. Barrett says:

    Yeah this narrative makes no sense. We were not born yesterday!

  16. Izzy says:

    Wow. She’s really throwing TH under the bus. Does she even get that a good number of people who would have believed her before just don’t now? 🐍

    • jetlagged says:

      ^^This. Her reservoir of goodwill has been seriously diminished. Also – does she realize that Hiddleston still has a large and vocal fanbase that won’t take kindly to her trashing him?

      He’s also got Marvel studios in his corner, and I would hope that if someone is out there slinging mud at the actor who plays a beloved character in their universe, they might use their own not-too-shabby (but far more subtle) PR machine to come to his aid, especially if he’s promoting one of their films.

      • madly says:

        His fan base is also smarter than hers and can easily poke holes in her PR and their stupid arguments without breaking a sweat. She should really just walk away and leave him alone.

      • jetlagged says:

        She really should, but I’m guessing she won’t. If the PR spin keeps setting Tom up as the only fame-hungry wretch in the relationship, and pinning all fault for the ridicule of Hiddleswift on him, I’ll be donning my most festive fangirl outfit and charging headlong into the fray to call out her hypocrisy every chance I get… in the most genteel, non-misogynistic terms possible of course.

      • dobbs says:

        Why she picked Joe, he is a starting out actor that needs visibility and she gets a new BF that will follow orders.

  17. thaisajs says:

    I’m 100 percent behind her keeping this as private as possible because I’m bored to tears with all her relationship drama.

  18. Bonzo says:

    We predicted that TayTay was laying low to keep the focus away from the embarrassing summer of 2016. We also predicted that her team would craft a new image for her that would contradict the negative perceptions of last summer’s PR disaster.

    I’m seeing our predictions come true. Low-key is the new image TayTay is pushing. Too bad it’s so contrary to the narcissism on display for 10 years, many of us don’t buy it.

    Joe is just another wanna-be-as-famous-as-Swifty who has agreed to be used as much as he is using. It’ll end like all the rest of her relationship and he’ll get blamed so she can use it for material in an upcoming album. New year, same ol’ story.

    • Madly says:

      This so much.

      Low key is also a play off of Tom’s most famous character and Thor is coming out in November. I think it is a deliberate nod to that.

      • justme says:

        Oh yeah, her album will be dropping around the same time as Thor promotion. “So Tom do you think that Taylor’s new diss song “Love should be low-key” could be about you?”

      • spidey says:

        To which I hope he would reply that he had absolutely no idea. Just after announcing his engagement to some beautiful, kind, intellectual lady. 🙂

      • Mildred Fierce says:

        Yes, I’m taking bets that there will be some kind of “low-key” song title on Miss Forever Thirteen’s next album. It fits her middle-school mean girl aesthetic perfectly.

    • MI6 says:

      Bonzo!!! ❤❤
      …can I get an amen for Hiddles as hoodwinked then?
      Finally?
      He really IS that (dumb) naive. Which is why I love him.

      • Bonzo says:

        No you will not. He knew exactly what he was doing, even if he naively assumed it would all end well for him, the dummy.

        You keep on loving him, girl. I’ll keep mocking. 🙂

    • lightpurple says:

      Good to see you, Bonzo, my dear. You have been missed. Comet Sopie or Pervy Hiddles for you today?

      • Bonzo says:

        Aww, thanks, Lilac. I could use a Pervy Tombanger and for him to come out of hiding and give me something that’s gigglesnort-worthy. What is your husband up to lately? Is it on the IW set or have you been secretly vacationing in Iceland — far from the maddening crowds and prying eyes?

  19. Madly says:

    Is that why we know every detail about her romance and now we have pap pics when she can easily avoid the paps like she did for a few months? She is such a liar. Tom is looking so much better by the day.

  20. LucyHoneychurch says:

    Maybe she finally learned her lesson? She and Hiddles got a TON of shit for their showmance.

  21. Scout says:

    She’s so transparent. The judge in the case with that DJ rules she must be present for all 9 days of the trial on Wednesday and then come 12-24 hours later she is spotted getting on her private plane with her new ~boyfriend~ for the first time ever. Jee, I wonder if they put the hoods up on their hoodies because they knew the paps were there? Weird how she went months and months not being spotted at all of these airports she constantly flies to/out of but once a story gets out she doesn’t like she’s spotted. (For the record – that DJ is disgusting trash and I hope he loses his case.)

  22. Sara says:

    I am more exicited the next model Leo will date xD I think they have more personality than this guy.

  23. Llamas says:

    Kaiser, please call them “Toe”

  24. Tw says:

    THere are not enough seats in the world for her to take.

  25. Mildred Fierce says:

    People always act like Taylor Swift is some kind of PR genius, but all of this “romantic friends” business and “low-key” references (wink, wink) are just so ham-fisted and obvious, and I don’t think it is healthy for her long-term career prospects. I’m sure she has a loyal fan base, but aren’t these people going to age out of listening to blind item songs in the next 5 or 10 years?

    • SM says:

      Exactly. I wouldn’t call this a PR genius when they push soooo hard the narrative of Taylor being oh so private and yet revealing so many details about their dating life and the timeline of their relationship. If they put at least some effort into making this somewhat believable they at least shoild have bothered to split this info into several leaks to several different outlets. It’s just obvious and lazy PR done out of habit

    • QueenB says:

      True. Reminds me of some of the early Trump talk. Like he was purposely talking in his own way, brilliant strategy, temper tantrums to distract the press, all part of the plan. Nah, Trump is just thin skinned and has the vocabulary of a two year old.

  26. dobbs says:

    Did anyone see the HBO Liberace movie? remember when Lee first meets scott, its backstage and his current boytoy is eating dinner and coping a major attitude. I think that was the same here, Tay Tay started setting her eyes on Joe when she was still with Tom but things were falling apart. The timeline that her PR people put out just does not click right and are scrambling to find a friends that she could have met him through, Gigi? Emma Stone?

    She picked him next because he is D list and will do what he is told, for PR reasons she now needs a BF that she can have under control.

    Taylor has a eye for new and refreshing dick

    • Scout says:

      Calling him D-List is being way too generous. Apparently he attended the infamous MET Ball as well, so who knows.

  27. dobbs says:

    these new pics were Swift Approved the TMZ ones were not. Proof UK has some very tough PAP laws as a result of the tragic death of Lady Diana. UK Paps would not even be able to get close enough to take these photos without getting arrested.

  28. Keaton says:

    I feel nostalgic for the halcyon days of the Great Tiddlesbang of Summer 2016. It was so silly and ridiculous and fun. Popular culture hasn’t been the same since. Trump ruins everything.

  29. Bread and Circuses says:

    She was low-key with Calvin Harris too. Because he was a real boyfriend.

    Tiddles was a PR distraction she hid behind while the Snake Emoji scandal ran its course.