British actor Joe Alwyn has taken to Instagram to share a carousel of ten new pictures, his first since news of his split from Taylor Swift emerged in April 2023.
Joe simply captioned the post with a camera emoji and wave emoji, but his pictures were instantly decoded by fans who were looking for clues about his life post-Taylor – and it didn't disappoint.
In the second picture, he shared a throwback snap of himself of a child dressed as Robin Hood, complete with a bow and arrow; fans were quick to connect the picture to Taylor's song 'The Archer' which includes the lyrics: "I've been the archer / I've been the prey / Who could ever leave me, darling? / But who could stay?"
It is thought their split was amicable and not dramatic, although songs Taylor has since released, including 'You're Losing Me,' hint that their break-up came after a series of fights about their different priorities and needs when it comes to the spotlight. when it comes to the spotlight.
The post also included a video of a performance by Bon Iver, (real name: Justin Vernon), who appeared on Taylor's album Folklore and co-wrote the song 'Exile' – also co written by Joe – and a picture of a house that appeared to be covered in ivy. The song 'Ivy', from the album Evermore, is about a secret relationship that is doomed from the start, with neither partner fighting out loud for the other.
The carousel also featured two pictures of Joe, including one of him smiling wide with black sunglasses covering his eyes, and a sketch of a house that bore a striking resemblance to the Cornelia Street apartment in New York City's West Village that they lived in during the early months of their romance.
Taylor and Conversations with Friends actor Joe had kept their six-and-a-half-year relationship out of the spotlight, and had only publicly mentioned each other in passing a handful of times throughout those years.
The pair met after being introduced by mutual friends in 2016, and made their first public appearance at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards. In recent years Taylor had become more vocal about her romance, and in 2022 the 33-year-old admitted that her relationship with Joe had served as major inspiration for the first track, 'Lavender Haze.' on her most recent album Midnights.
She also thanked him publicly when she accepted the 2021 Grammy for Folklore.
After news of their split emerged, Taylor enjoyed a very public and controversial romance with The 1975's Matty Healy, but by July 2023 she revealed that she was an "independent girlie" as she took fans into her Fourth July celebrations.
"Happy belated Independence Day from your local neighborhood independent girlies," the singer wrote a day after the holiday, referencing that the majority of the women in the picture are single.
In the pictures were Selena Gomez, Este, Danielle and Alana Haim, Ashley Avignone and Sydney Ness, who all posed in swimwear as they partied at Taylor's Rhode Island home.
Get the lowdown on the biggest, hottest celebrity news, features and profiles coming out of the U.S. Sign up to our HELLO! Hollywood newsletterand get them delivered straight to your inbox.