Joe Alwyn is speaking out for the first time about his breakup with Taylor Swift.
In an interview with The Sunday Times Style published on Saturday, June 15, the Kinds of Kindness actor, 33, said that his time with the pop star, 34, was “long, loving” and “fully committed.”
When asked if he’s heard Swift’s latest album, The Tortured Poets Department — which fans believe may be made up of material inspired by the former couple’s breakup — Alwyn said, “In thinking on what I was going to say, I would think and hope that anyone and everyone can empathize. … This isn’t a direct answer to your question, but just thinking about what I want to talk about.”
He continued, “I would hope that anyone and everyone can empathize and understand the difficulties that come with the end of a long, loving, fully committed relationship of over six and a half years.”
“That is a hard thing to navigate,” Alwyn added.
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PEOPLE confirmed that Swift and Alwyn broke up in April 2023 after six years of dating, around the same time that the pop superstar kicked off her still-ongoing Eras Tour.
A source said at the time that the split was largely caused by “differences in their personalities” that became “harder to ignore.”
Reflecting on his breakup more, Alwyn told the Times, “What is unusual and abnormal in this situation is that, one week later, it’s suddenly in the public domain and the outside world is able to weigh in.”
“So you have something very real suddenly thrown into a very unreal space: tabloids, social media, press, where it is then dissected, speculated on, pulled out of shape beyond recognition,” he continued. “And the truth is, to that last point, there is always going to be a gap between what is known and what is said. I have made my peace with that.”
Adding that he and Swift “mutually” decided to “keep the more private details of our relationship private,” Alwyn said, “It was never something to commodify and I see no reason to change that now.”
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Currently, Alwyn said he is doing “really good,” telling the Times, “I feel fortunate to be in a really great place in my life, professionally and personally.”
He would not discuss with the publication, however, if he’s dating again or if he’s still in touch with Swift.
“I’m sure you can appreciate, given the level of noise and scrutiny about my past relationship, why I wouldn’t want to just open the door to things like that right now,” he said.
Following her split from Alwyn, Swift has been dating Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce.
