Joe Alwyn has publicly addressed his breakup with Taylor Swift for the first time, citing emotional exhaustion from persistent inquiries about their six-year relationship. The British actor, 33, spoke to The Sunday Times Style, revealing his hope that discussing the split would allow him to move forward with his life and career.
"Joe wanted to get this over with once and for all so he can move forward with his life and his career," an insider told the Daily Mail. The source added that Alwyn was initially reluctant to speak about the breakup but felt compelled as the topic continued to dominate conversations during his promotional tours for new films.
The split, which occurred in early 2023, has been a subject of intense public interest, especially following the release of Swift's album "The Tortured Poets Department." Several tracks on the album, such as "So Long, London" and "How Did It End?" are believed by fans to reflect on their relationship. Additionally, other songs are rumored to address Swift's more recent relationships with Matty Healy and NFL star Travis Kelce.
While Alwyn harbors no ill will towards Swift, he wishes she would understand the impact her lyrics can have on those she writes about. "He wishes her no ill will, but he also needed her to know that appearing to address their relationship without confirming who she is singing about can have a lasting and hurtful effect on the people/men involved," the source explained.
Alwyn's frustration reached a tipping point during the promotional activities for his latest film, "Kinds of Kindness." According to the insider, "He cannot go anywhere without being asked about Taylor. He wants to be asked about his films, not about Taylor." This relentless focus on his past relationship became "depressing and emotionally draining" for the actor.
During their relationship, Swift and Alwyn were notoriously private, a preference partly due to COVID-19 restrictions but also a mutual desire for privacy. "Their romance was private - quite the opposite of her relationship with Travis [Kelce]," the source noted. "They preferred it that way."
Reflecting on the public scrutiny of their breakup, Alwyn said, "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." He added that what made their situation particularly challenging was the immediate and intense public speculation that followed their split.
Despite the challenges, Alwyn expressed contentment with his current state of affairs. "As everyone knows, we together - both of us, mutually - decided to keep the more private details of our relationship private. It was never something to commodify and I see no reason to change that now. And, look, this is also a little over a year ago now and I feel fortunate to be in a really great place in my life, professionally and personally. I feel really good," he stated.
Swift, who is now dating Travis Kelce, has largely remained silent about which songs on her latest album refer to Alwyn. However, she has acknowledged that the album reflects a "sensational and sorrowful" period in her life. "This period of the author's life is now over, the chapter closed and boarded up," Swift wrote in a statement. "There is nothing to avenge, no scores to settle once wounds have healed."
Alwyn's decision to break his silence was driven by a need to reclaim his narrative and shift the focus back to his professional endeavors. The actor hopes that by addressing the breakup once, he can put an end to the constant speculation and move forward. "He does not want to discuss this anymore, but he knew that if he didn't say anything, it would go on indefinitely. Swifties never let anything die," the insider remarked.
