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Here's What We Know About Joe Alwyn's *Pre-Taylor* Relationships

by Gillian Walters

When word got out that Taylor Swift might be dating British actor Joe Alwyn, Swifties were beyond thrilled. Similarly to Swift, Alwyn is very accomplished and talented, and he seems to be a pretty down-to-earth guy. Of course, a lot of fans are even more curious and inquisitive about Alwyn's personal life now that Swift's new album, Reputation, will drop on Friday. Fans are certain that some of the songs on the album will be about him, so it's only natural that fans are asking about his relationship past. So, who did Joe Alwyn date before Taylor Swift? Here's what you need to know.

If you know anything about Swift, you know that she's either very private or public with her relationships — there's really no in-between. In the case of 26-year-old Alwyn, Swift has kept a tight lid on their supposed relationship, and neither Swift nor Alwyn has directly spoken out on the subject. It's actually pretty amazing that not much is known about their relationship since they have allegedly been dating since May, according to People.

Well, it turns out Swift might be keeping quiet for Alwyn's sake, because he's rumored to be a very private guy. Alwyn doesn't have an Instagram (at least not a public one), and he lived with his parents up until very recently, according to Insider. Additionally, sources allegedly close to Alwyn paint him as a guy devoted to his work. One supposed source said, according to the Daily Mail:

He's very charismatic, he's what I refer to as a quintessential panty-dropper. Your classic prince charming. Women want to throw themselves at him. It's the way he holds himself. But to a certain extent he was married to his work. He caught the eye of certain people in our class until they realised he was so married to his work.

Disgusting and sexist "panty-dropper" line aside (who says that kind of garbage in 2017?), it seems like Alwyn is not the type to flaunt his personal life around town. By all accounts, he's a quiet, private, and grounded person.

Since Alwyn is so guarded about his personal life, there's unfortunately little to know about his prior dating history. In fact, when you Google "Joe Alwyn" and "dating history" there are no results that involve anyone other than Swift.

There could be a few reasons for this: either Alwyn is the master at keeping relationships on the DL, or he isn't famous enough to warrant articles about his past dating life. And to be fair, Alwyn wasn't a well-known name (at least in America) prior to his coupling with Swift. Not that being under the radar is a bad thing — I bet a lot of over-exposed celebrities would like a break from the spotlight on occasion.

As for what Swift thinks of Alwyn's low-key nature, she's totally on board. An alleged source said, according to People:

Their relationship is very different from Taylor’s past ones. They much prefer having dinner parties at home with friends than going out. Just like Taylor, Joe is a homebody. He loves being an actor but doesn’t like the celebrity part of it. It’s pretty special to find someone you’re on the same page with.

Sounds refreshing. Plus, I think fans are still reeling from Swift's super public relationship with Tom Hiddleston — it's nice that Swift is enjoying this change of pace.

Of course, there's definitely a possibility that Swift will make her public debut with Alwyn now that her new album, Reputation, is set to be released on Friday. Many have speculated that a few songs on the album are about Alwyn, like the single "Ready For It." It would be a great marketing strategy to announce your secret relationship the same day your album is dropping, at least I think. I'm not Kris Jenner — I don't know the ins and outs of publicity schemes.

For now, it looks like Alwyn's dating history only extends to Swift (at least in terms of public relationships), which should be comforting news to the couple's stans. Keep shipping your little hearts out, people.

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