Zendaya has always had a way of making love look effortless, especially when it comes to her relationship with Tom Holland. On 'The New York Times’ Modern Love' podcast, she described the moment she realized he was “her person.”
“I think sometimes, at least in my personal experience, I found that—sometimes people can get nervous around people,” the 'Euphoria' star told the podcast for the April 1 episode, “but there's a certain feeling that I was able to experience when I knew that this is my person, because I didn't.”
© GrosbyGroupShe continued, “I don't feel nervous, I feel really peaceful and I feel really calm. And feel like, ‘Oh, I actually feel more nervous when I'm away from you than when I'm with you.’ And that's when I was like, ‘Ah, that's a good sign, that’s me listening to intuition.’”
Their connection started in 2017:
Zendaya traces that sense of calm all the way back to their first chemistry read for 2017’s 'Spider-Man: Homecoming.'
© Backgrid/The Grosby Group“We first met in an audition, so I was pretty nervous anyway, but he did make me feel calm,” she explained, “just by being a nice person, you know, by making me feel comfortable. Having to do a chemistry read for a big movie like that, it’s like, you really want the job and all these kind of things. And yeah, he was really lovely then.”
Their connection extends beyond the screen. Zendaya describes a bond shaped by years of growing up together in the Spider-Man franchise. She feels “biased” because she’s known Tom intimately from a young age, and his outgoing energy complements her more introverted nature.
© GrosbyGroupKeeping their relationship private:
Even as their relationship has captivated fans, Zendaya has kept the focus on boundaries. “I just feel like for me there is this level of a parasocial investment in my personal relationship,” she said.
“I do know that I’m a public person, and so is he, and I’m also aware that we’ve grown up in front of people and we’ve done movies where we fall in love with each other, so I really do understand that and I don’t want to dismiss that like, ‘Stay out of my business’ or whatever," she said.
© Backgrid/The Grosby GroupAt the same time, she emphasized, “I try my best to be able to have things for myself and for him as well.” Zendaya and Tom aren’t trying to “hide from the world,” she explained. Keeping details private helps them “preserve things for ourselves so that we can maintain that joy just within ourselves and our loved ones and our family.”
“I hear it,” she added, “but also my own little boundaries of what I like to bring up and talk about but then also what I’m willing to share.”
© Backgrid/The Grosby GroupThe couple’s private milestones:
The couple’s private milestones have occasionally leaked into public view. Tom proposed at one of Zendaya’s family homes during the holidays in late 2024, and by January 2025, the engagement was confirmed when she debuted her diamond ring at the Golden Globes.
© XNY/Star MaxIn February 2026, she was seen wearing a gold band instead of her five-carat engagement ring, fueling whispers of a secret wedding. Rumors intensified on March 1, when stylist Law Roach told the press, “The wedding already happened. You missed it.”
Despite the speculation, they remain focused on work, with plans to appear together in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming 'The Odyssey' and return for the fourth 'Spider-Man' installment.
