Tom Holland and Zendaya built their romance on the foundation of friendship, after starring together as iconic couple Peter Parker and MJ in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The British actor, 26, and the Euphoria star, 25, played coy and laughed off the relationship rumors circulating them for years, after the couple’s onscreen chemistry made fans hopeful that the sparks were real.
Zendaya referred to her co-star as her ‘best friend’ and ‘mate’ while denying any romance by stating she and Tom were just friends.
However, when the dynamic duo were spotted sharing a kiss in Tom’s car in July of 2021, it was all but confirmed that the young couple’s friendship had blossomed into something more.
Since then, the pair have been more open about their relationship, stepping out together at events and even wearing matching jerseys with each other’s names at a hockey game in 2022.
Despite rumors that the two bought a house in South London, the Marvel hero clarified that the two are not cohabitating just yet in February of 2022.
Here’s a look at the timeline of the couple’s relationship…
June 15, 2022: Zendaya denies being pregnant after TikTok hoax claiming she was expecting her first child goes viral
Fighting back: Zendaya weighed in after a TikTok prank that claimed she was pregnant went viral, saying that people are ‘just making stuff up for no reason’; Pictured Dec 5, 2021
Zendaya put an end to rumors that she was pregnant with her first child, after a TikTok prank went viral.
The video featured a fake sonogram photo that was photoshopped to look as if the Primetime Emmy Award winner had posted it herself.
The star took to her Instagram Stories to set the story straight, complaining that people are ‘just making stuff up for no reason.’
June 1, 2022: Zendaya shares a lovely Instagram birthday post for Tom
Happy together: Zendaya wrote a lovely tribute to Tom on his birthday, June 1, 2022, and posted a classic black-and-white photo of the couple embracing on her Instagram
Zendaya gushed over her boyfriend Tom in a special birthday message for the Spider-Man star shared to her Instagram.
To celebrate the actor turning 26, she posted a classic black and white snap of the pair embracing together, with a touching caption underneath.
‘Happiest of birthdays to the one who makes me the happiest,’ she wrote with a heart symbol.
Less than an hour later, Tom responded to the post leaving three heart emojis below it.
February 18, 2022: Tom shuts down rumors that he bought a house with Zendaya
Not yet: After it was reported that the couple purchased a new home together following their visit to his native U.K., the actor denied the rumors on Live with Kelly and Ryan on Feb 18, 2022
After it was reported that Tom and Zendaya had purchased a new home together following their visit to his native U.K., the actor clarified the matter during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan on February 18, 2022.
‘I have had so many people call me up because apparently I bought a new house in South London. Which is completely false! I didn’t buy a new house!’
The Uncharted actor, who was raised in Southwest London, joked, ‘I was like, “Wow! What I surprise! I wonder when I’ll get the keys.”‘
When asked by Ryan Seacrest what gave life to the rumor, Tom appeared to have no clue. ‘I don’t know! I honestly don’t know.’
February 17, 2022: Zendaya and Tom show their love by wearing jerseys with each other’s names on the back at New York Rangers game
Matching: The couple made a cute statement as they attended a New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden while wearing jerseys with each other’s names on the back
The couple became increasingly more open about showing their love for each other in public.
And in February of 2021 they made a cute statement as they attended a New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden while wearing jerseys with each other’s names on the back.
Both stars had on the Rangers’ blue, white and red jerseys, but the actress turned around to reveal that she had her boyfriend’s last name printed on the back, and he had her name on his shirt.
February 16, 2022: Zendaya and Tom hold hands as they attend a screening of his film Uncharted in New York City
Stylish pair: Zendaya and Tom held hands while leaving the swanky Crosby Street Hotel in New York City on February 16, 2022, as they headed to a screening of Tom’s film Uncharted
Zendaya and Tom held hands while leaving the swanky Crosby Street Hotel in New York City as they headed to a screening of Tom’s new film Uncharted with his costar Mark Wahlberg.
The Euphoria star and her beau were dressed elegantly for the occasion, with Zendaya – who was born Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman – looking stylish in a black shirt dress that reached down to her thighs, putting the spotlight on her long stocking-covered legs.
Tom looked effortlessly dapper in a light gray suit with slim lapels, which he dressed down with a black turtleneck.
December 17, 2021: Their third movie together, Spider-Man: No Way Home, hits the theaters
Three films together: The sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) was released on December 17, 2021 starring Tom and Zendaya
The sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) was released on December 17, 2021.
Holland reprised his role as the titular character from earlier films while his girlfriend returned to the series as well.
It became the third-highest-grossing film at domestic box offices, earning a whooping $760.988 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, and over $1.8 billion worldwide.
December 15, 2021: Zendaya gushes over how ‘proud’ she is of Tom as she shares then-and-now snaps of the actor as the web-slinging hero
Sweet: Zendaya took a moment to gush over her beau ahead of the release of their highly-anticipated film, sharing snaps of Tom playing Spider-Man on screen and dressing up as the web-slinging hero as a child
Zendaya took a moment to gush over her beau Tom ahead of the release of their highly-anticipated film Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The star shared snaps of Tom playing Spider-Man on screen and dressing up as the web-slinging hero as a child.
‘My Spider-Man, I’m so proud of you, some things never change and good thing,’ captioned Zendaya, who also tagged her other half in the post.
The current snapshot of Tom as Spider-Man showed him, presumably, on set of the most recent feature, while the throwback snap showed a very young Tom dressed in the beloved comic book hero’s red and blue suit for either a birthday party or Halloween-related festivity.
December 14, 2021: Zendaya reveals Tom is her favorite Spider-Man actor while appearing with him on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Her favorite: Zendaya revealed that Tom was her favorite Spider-Man while appearing with him on Jimmy Kimmel Live in December of 2021
Zendaya revealed that Tom was her favorite Spider-Man while appearing with him on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
The couple were joined by their Spider-Man: No Way Home co-stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Jacob Batalon on the ABC talk show.
When asked who was her favorite, she coyly replied: ‘Listen, I’m not going to get in trouble. I’m not going to pick a favorite, but …,’ she said as she motioned toward Tom.
December 13, 2021: Zendaya and Tom attend Spider-Man: No Way Home premiere
Loved up: The beautiful couple naturally stole the show as they attended the world premiere of their film Spider-Man: No Way Home in Los Angeles on December 13, 2021
The beautiful couple naturally stole the show as they attended the world premiere of their film Spider-Man: No Way Home in Los Angeles on December 13, 2021.
The on-and-offscreen pair were seen affectionately posing alongside one another at the Regency Village theatre, where they beamed bright ahead of the screening of their latest Marvel film.
The star showed off her modelesque physique in a plunging dress with bedazzled webs, while at Holland looked dapper in a chocolate suit, with the actor adding to his frame in heeled boots.
December 10, 2021: Zendaya addresses the height difference between the couple
Height difference: Zendaya and Tom addressed constant chatter about their height difference and the absurd notion that kissing must be ‘difficult’ for the pair on December 10, 2021
Zendaya and Tom addressed constant chatter about their height difference and the absurd notion that kissing must be ‘difficult’ for the pair on December 10, 2021, while appearing on SiriusXM Town Hall where they had a discussion about ‘ridiculous’ stereotypes for tall women and short men.
Holland, who is 5ft8in, and Zendaya, who is 5ft10in, spoke in-depth about the gendered construct of height in real life and as it relates to the movie, maintaining above all that it shouldn’t be a ‘thing.’
‘Zendaya. I wanted to ask. And actually, and Tom, I wanted to ask you guys because in the first, in Far from Home when MJ and Peter kiss and Zendaya, you’re taller than Tom and it became this, this thing,’ host Jessica Shaw said as the pair laughed.
Holland humorously interjected: ‘Not that much taller. Let’s just, let’s put this out there. Maybe like an inch or two at best.’
‘It’s not like, people say like — “How did you guys kiss? It must have been soo difficult,” he recalled which drew a laugh from Zendaya.
Shaw clarified that she thinks the gendered view of height in society is both ‘misogynistic’ and ‘problematic’ and asked them to weigh in on the ‘assumption’ that men should be taller than women.
Zendaya agreed that it was a ‘screwed up’ mentality. ‘Yeah, this is normal too,’ the beauty said of her being taller than Tom, which he agreed with: ‘Yeah it’s a stupid assumption.’
‘My mom is taller than my dad. My mom is taller than everyone,’ she went on to say, while Holland called the whole subject ‘ridiculous.’
December 5, 2021: Zendaya and Tom make their red carpet debut after confirming their romance at Spider-Man: No Way Home London photocall
Smitten: Zendaya and Tom looked smitten as they attended the London photocall for Spider-Man: No Way Home on December 5, 2021, which marked their first official red carpet appearance after confirming their romance
Zendaya and Tom looked smitten as they attended the London photocall for Spider-Man: No Way Home on December 5, 2021.
The cute duo couldn’t take their eyes off one another as they embraced and laughed, marking the first time they had posed together on a red carpet since confirming their relationship.
Fashion maven Zendaya looked stunning in a sequin-embellished grey blazer dress by Alexander McQueen, paired with silver-studded tights which accentuated her honed legs.
Tom wowed in a crisp shirt, leather jacket and slacks by Celine as he embraced his new love.
November 30, 2021: Zendaya cuddles up with beau Tom backstage at Ballon d’Or awards in Paris
Happy couple: Zendaya and Tom cuddled up for a backstage snap at the Ballon d’Or awards after confirming their romance
The two may have hit the Ballon d’Or awards red carpet separately after confirming their romance.
But Zendaya and Tom did not stray too far away from each other backstage at the event.
The two stars cuddled up for a cute snap together while enjoying the evening at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in November of 2021.
September 1, 2021: Tom makes their romance Instagram official as he wishes girlfriend Zendaya the ‘happiest of birthdays’
Instagram official: Tom and Zendaya went Instagram official with their relationship on September 1, 2021, when Holland wished his beloved a happy birthday
Tom and Zendaya went Instagram official with their relationship on September 1, 2021, when Holland wished his beloved a happy birthday.
The English entertainer shared a snap to his grid from their Spider-Man days where she caught a photo in the mirror while hanging out in a dressing room.
Tom was dressed in full Spider-Man threads — aside from his mask — as he peered into the mirror while Zendaya snapped a photo of the couple.
‘My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays,’ he captioned the sweet snap. ‘Gimme a call when your up xxx.’
Zendaya admitted she was hard at work on her big day as she shared an eerie nighttime photo from the set of Euphoria, but hours later, she proved to be awake and ready to chat commenting ‘calling now’ with a heart emoji underneath his post.
July 19, 2021: Bikini-clad Zendaya jokingly claps back at eagle-eyed fan who spots Tom ‘drowning’ in the background of pool photo
Glowing: Zendaya jokingly clapped back at an eagle-eyed fan who claimed to have spotted Tom ‘drowning’ in the background of her sultry pool photo
After the two were seen passionately kissing in Tom’s car, Zendaya took to Instagram with a bikini photo that featured Tom in the background.
She captioned the now-deleted shot with, ‘Out here living my best life,’ but it didn’t take long for eagle-eyed fans to rush to their keyboards to jest about Tom’s position in the water.
Drawing the focus away from her glowing makeup look and wavy walnut locks in the snap, one follower wrote: ‘Tom is drowning.’
It didn’t take long for the former Disney Channel star to jokingly clap back, writing: ‘This ain’t about him.’
July 1, 2021: Zendaya and Tom confirm their romance as they’re pictured passionately kissing in his car
First kiss: Zendaya and Tom shared their first public kiss and finally confirmed they were an item on July 1, 2021, as they were spotted passionately smooching in his car in Los Angeles
Zendaya and Tom shared their first kiss and finally confirmed they were an item on July 1, 2021.
The couple were spotted passionately kissing in his car during a Los Angeles outing, with the actor gently holding Zendaya’s face as he leaned over from the driver’s seat of his Audi and locked lips with his girlfriend.
When they were not kissing the duo could be glimpsed having a cheerful conversation and Zendaya was spotted with a radiant smile on her face.
During the same day Zendaya was spotted at a residential property in Los Angeles with her mother Claire Stormer – and Tom was with her for the family meetup.
August 23, 2021: Zendaya and Tom look lucky in love at a friend’s wedding
True romance: Zendaya found the perfect wedding date in Tom as they celebrated a friend’s nuptials together in August of 2021
Zendaya found the perfect wedding date in Tom as they celebrated a friend’s nuptials together in August of 2021.
She was positively beaming as she cuddled up to the actor in an Instagram snap shared from music producer Josh Florez’s wedding to Karina Florez at The Vineyards.
Tom was clearly enjoying his time at the big event as he unbuttoned his white dress shirt, which he paired with black slacks and brown shoes.
June 20, 2019: Holland shuts down rumors of a relationship with Zendaya
Playing coy: Tom shut down reports that he was dating Zendaya in June of 2019, after the couple’s onscreen chemistry made fans hopeful that the sparks were real; Pictured 2019
Tom shut down reports that he was dating Zendaya in June of 2019, after the couple’s onscreen chemistry made fans hopeful that the sparks were real.
In an interview by Elle he confirmed that he and the former Disney star are definitely not in a relationship.
Holland said that while he’s not currently dating anyone, he is ‘definitely a relationship person.’
‘I’m not the fleeting type at all; it’s not my way of life,’ the Brit told the magazine.
June 1, 2019: Zendaya sends happy birthday wishes to ‘weirdo’ Tom as he turns 23
Nicknames: Zendaya wished Tom a happy birthday as he turned 23 in 2019, jokingly calling him a ‘weirdo’
Zendaya wished Tom a happy birthday as he turned 23 in 2019.
The beauty posted a kind message on Instagram with the actor in mind.
‘Happy birthday weirdo, thanks for being the wonderful person you are, we’re all very lucky to have you and your weirdness,’ wrote the multi-talented star, tagging the London native into the post.
In an accompanying shot, the performer was flanked by Holland, Spider-Man actor Jacob Batalon and her assistant Darnell Appling.
October 12, 2018: Tom and Zendaya get close as they are seen filming Spider-Man sequel, Spider-Man: Far from Home
Hold me tight: Zendaya was seen holding tightly onto her handsome co-star in 2018 as they filmed for Spider-Man: Far From Home – a sequel to the 2017 flick Spider-Man: Homecoming
Zendaya was seen holding tightly onto her handsome co-star as they filmed for Spider-Man: Far From Home – a sequel to the 2017 flick Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Tom looked ready to take the superhero mantle again, and sported his full Marvel costume, on the New York City set.
Zendaya cut a casual figure in an all black ensemble of sweater, capri pants, and Converse high tops and was seen flashing a bright smile while in the arms of her hero.
August 4, 2018: Zendaya faces off against Tom at air hockey as they head to bowling alley with co-stars
Game night: Despite shutting down romance speculation in 2017, Tom and Zendaya had the time of their lives as they enjoyed a game night at a bowling alley with their cast mates in 2018
They shut down romance speculation in 2017, but the next year Tom and Zendaya were clearly still thick as thieves.
The pair had the time of their lives as they enjoyed a game night at a bowling alley with their cast mates.
The stars captured all the fun on Instagram, where they went head-to-head at the arcade over a game of air hockey.
August 8, 2017: Zendaya denies ongoing dating rumors and calls Tom one of her ‘best friends’
Besties: Zendaya made it clear that the couple were not dating in August 2017, calling Tom one of her ‘best friends’; Pictured 2017
Zendaya made it clear that the couple were not dating in August 2017, calling Tom one of her ‘best friends.’
‘We are friends. He’s a great dude. He’s literally one of my best friends.’
She also revealed that their intense schedule made them relate to each other: ‘This past how many months we’ve had to do press tours together. There’s very few people that will understand what that’s like at 20 years old,’ she said during her chat with Variety magazine.
June 15, 2017: Zendaya and Tom attend the Spider-Man: Homecoming photocall in London
Growing close: The co-stars looked cute together as they started promoting Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017; Pictured at photocall in London on June 15, 2017
The co-stars looked cute together as they started promoting their first film together in 2017.
Zendaya flaunted her toned legs in a thigh-skimming blue tutu as she posed with Holland for the Spider-Man: Homecoming photocall in London.
Meanwhile Tom dressed down in a short sleeved navy shirt and rolled up jeans.
May 7, 2017: Tom and Zendaya attend the 2017 MTV Movie And TV Awards in Los Angeles
They were glued to each other: Holland and Zendaya enjoyed dessert and looked at her phone during the 2017 MTV Movie And TV Awards at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in May
The new co-stars quickly developed a strong bond with each other.
The two were glued together during the 2017 MTV Movie And TV Awards at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in May.
While enjoying the event they looked at her phone and indulged in dessert together.
March 7, 2016: Zendaya lands role in new Spider-Man reboot alongside Holland
How they met: In March of 2016 it was first reported that Zendaya landed a ‘key’ role in the new Spider-Man reboot where Holland was already set to star as Peter Parker/Spidey
In March of 2016 it was first reported that Zendaya landed a ‘key’ role in the new Spider-Man reboot where Holland was already set to star as Peter Parker/Spidey.
It was later revealed the star, who was 19 at the time, was cast as his iconic love interest MJ.
‘She was among the actresses who’ve quietly been testing for roles,’ Deadline reported at the time.