Everything Tom Holland and Zendaya Have Said About Their Relationship Over the Years

Credit: Luca Piergiovanni/EPA/Shutterstock

Everything Tom Holland and Zendaya Have Said About Their Relationship Over the Years

Making an impression! Ever since Tom Holland and Zendaya met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming, the pair have shared a special connection. Fans quickly started to wonder whether the duo were more than just friends in 2017, but the costars attempted to keep their dating lives private. "We are friends," Zendaya said in Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood issue in August 2017. “He’s a great dude. He’s literally one of my best friends." The singer told Entertainment Tonight the same month that she understood why people connected her with Holland. "It happens all the time, and of course we expected it," she said in August 2017. "I mean, it comes with the territory. It comes with the job, so it's all good." While Holland and Zendaya denied that they were dating at the time, their friendship only got stronger. A source told Us Weekly in 2017, "Tom has met Zendaya's family and they love him." [jwplayer kAVpzODS] Meanwhile, the Cherry star and the Disney alum continued to highlight their close friendship. "Talking to Zendaya's helped me a lot, actually," Holland told British GQ in February 2021 explaining how the Shake It Up alum guided him through being in the spotlight. "I used to come across sometimes as a bit of a d--k to fans, mainly as I was always so surprised that they'd want a picture with me or signature or whatever. I'd have a typical Londoner reaction, one of instant suspicion: 'Why are you talking to me?'" The English actor admitted it was "very nerve-wracking" to pursue relationships in the public eye. "It means that if you are dating someone, you have to be really conscious of their feelings, because if something does happen between the two of you, it's not just happening between the two of you, it's happening in front of the entire world," he told British GQ. "And it can be very complicated. It's one of the things I worry about most, of all the things in my career." Following years of denying that they were romantically linked, the twosome were spotted packing on the PDA in Holland's car in July 2021. “Zendaya and Tom started off as really great friends and stayed that way for a long while before things turned romantic,” a source exclusively told Us of the duo later that month, adding that they “both challenge each other and balance each other out.” According to the insider, Holland “makes her laugh,” while Zendaya “really helps guide him through the world of celebrity.” Zendaya previously dated her Euphoria costar Jacob Elordi from 2019 to 2020. Holland, for his part, dated Olivia Bolton from 2019 to 2020. Scroll down to see all the times Zendaya and Holland have talked about their relationship: [podcast_block]

Credit: Luca Piergiovanni/EPA/Shutterstock

Everything Tom Holland and Zendaya Have Said About Their Relationship Over the Years

Making an impression! Ever since Tom Holland and Zendaya met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming, the pair have shared a special connection. Fans quickly started to wonder whether the duo were more than just friends in 2017, but the costars attempted to keep their dating lives private. "We are friends," Zendaya said in Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood issue in August 2017. “He’s a great dude. He’s literally one of my best friends." The singer told Entertainment Tonight the same month that she understood why people connected her with Holland. "It happens all the time, and of course we expected it," she said in August 2017. "I mean, it comes with the territory. It comes with the job, so it's all good." While Holland and Zendaya denied that they were dating at the time, their friendship only got stronger. A source told Us Weekly in 2017, "Tom has met Zendaya's family and they love him." [jwplayer kAVpzODS] Meanwhile, the Cherry star and the Disney alum continued to highlight their close friendship. "Talking to Zendaya's helped me a lot, actually," Holland told British GQ in February 2021 explaining how the Shake It Up alum guided him through being in the spotlight. "I used to come across sometimes as a bit of a d--k to fans, mainly as I was always so surprised that they'd want a picture with me or signature or whatever. I'd have a typical Londoner reaction, one of instant suspicion: 'Why are you talking to me?'" The English actor admitted it was "very nerve-wracking" to pursue relationships in the public eye. "It means that if you are dating someone, you have to be really conscious of their feelings, because if something does happen between the two of you, it's not just happening between the two of you, it's happening in front of the entire world," he told British GQ. "And it can be very complicated. It's one of the things I worry about most, of all the things in my career." Following years of denying that they were romantically linked, the twosome were spotted packing on the PDA in Holland's car in July 2021. “Zendaya and Tom started off as really great friends and stayed that way for a long while before things turned romantic,” a source exclusively told Us of the duo later that month, adding that they “both challenge each other and balance each other out.” According to the insider, Holland “makes her laugh,” while Zendaya “really helps guide him through the world of celebrity.” Zendaya previously dated her Euphoria costar Jacob Elordi from 2019 to 2020. Holland, for his part, dated Olivia Bolton from 2019 to 2020. Scroll down to see all the times Zendaya and Holland have talked about their relationship: [podcast_block]

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Staying Close

“He’s literally one of my best friends," the California native told Variety in 2017. “This past how[ever] 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.”

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Platonic Bond

The HBO star reflected on how differently she and Holland remember the day they were introduced.

“He says when we first met it was super awkward because he went for a handshake and I went for a hug,” she told Variety in 2017. “But I don’t remember that. I thought it was cool.”

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Social Media Clarification

Following reports that claimed the duo were dating, they took to social media to poke fun at the speculation.

“Wait wait...my favorite is when it says we go on vacations together HA! I haven't been on a vacation in years! hbu @TomHolland1996???” she tweeted in 2017. Holland replied, “@Zendaya does the press tour count?”

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Proud Moment

Holland posted a photo of Zendaya from the Met Gala in May 2018, writing, "All hail the queen. Killing it mate."

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Getting Candid

After fans speculated whether the Avengers star was dating Zendaya, he told Elle in June 2019 that he was single but “definitely a relationship person." he explained, “I’m not the fleeting type at all; it’s not my way of life.”

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In His Corner

The English actor revealed how his costar helped him adjust to fame and transition to his new normal. "She totally changed the way I am able to be more comfortable in public," he told British GQ in February 2021.

Holland also talked about seeing Zendaya again for the next installment of their Marvel project, saying, "It's so fun being back with them, especially as Zendaya and I are going through similar things in our career, having taken on more adult roles to now come back to Spider-Man. I am so proud of what she has accomplished with Euphoria and also Malcolm & Marie."

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Sticking By One Another

Zendaya shared her thoughts on Holland's more mature role in Cherry, telling Esquire in February 2021, “It’s very hard to watch, because you’re like, ‘Dang, that’s my friend and I’m seeing him every day as Peter Parker.’ It’s brutal. But he took on the challenge beautifully.”

She added: “Once people get to see this version of Tom Holland, what’s next? Sky’s the limit.”

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Kind Comments

“She was so helpful in the process of my life changing, because not only are you making big films and you’re traveling the world, but everyone starts to know who you are. And you have to behave differently,” Holland explained to Backstage in February 2021. “You have a responsibility to kind of uphold this idea of being a role model to young kids. And, arguably, she’s the best at that.”

He continued, “You can’t really find anything against Zendaya, she’s kind of like the perfect person. It was so wonderful to have someone like her in my corner, to help me grow through that process … Having her as a friend has been so valuable to the success and happiness of my career and life.”

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Growing Up Together

"We've been doing it since I was...19. It's pretty special to have grown up all together and be a part of another legacy," Zendaya told E!'s Daily Pop of the Spider-Man cast in July 2021.

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A Good Impression

"[He] can make anybody feel comfortable and have a good laugh and a good chat," the Euphoria star reflected on Holland during an interview with InStyle in October 2021, noting that the actor was "very charismatic."

Zendaya also praised Holland when it came to his strong work ethic that she got the chance to witness firsthand.

"Our director allowed me to come in every day [of the shoot]," she added at the time. "And it was cool to see how he cares so much about his work and making it right. I watched him do a fight scene all day, which is exhausting. He'd do a move, come back to the monitors, watch it, and say, ‘I can do that better.' I'd be like, ‘Dude, you got it.' But he wants us to be perfect, and I really appreciate that."

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Staying Private

Holland revealed that he and Zendaya didn't intend to reveal their relationship with that steamy car PDA.

“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 ... We sort of felt robbed of our privacy," he told GQ in November 2021.

He added that he doesn't want to discuss their relationship without his love. “It’s not a conversation that I can have without her,” he explained. “You know, I respect her too much to say … This isn’t my story. It’s our story. And we’ll talk about what it is when we’re ready to talk about it together.”

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Embracing the Love

“I think it's great to have that support and love around you, because you need that,” Zendaya gushed of her boyfriend during an April 2022 interview with Entertainment Tonight. “This isn't an easy job, so it's good to have that to free you up from it every now and then.”

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Her 1st Text

After attending the 2022 Emmys with her mom, Zendaya revealed that Holland was the first person she texted following her second Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series win.

"Well, I didn't have to text my mom because my mom was already there, she's here tonight, which is very special. And I texted my boyfriend,” she told E! News in September 2022.