\n<\/p>\n
All of which is to say that no one is doing it like TomDaya. With a combined 250 million followers on Instagram (Holland might be Spider-Man, but Zendaya pulls in a cool 177 million of those on her own), they are Gen-Z royalty. And, a bit like the royals themselves, they have adopted a formula that allows them to parachute into moments of enormous public attention \u2013 proffering a soundbite here, a viral moment there \u2013 before retreating back into their Richmond bubble, where they share a six-bedroom home with their three pet dogs. They speak about one another in these moments because they recognise that their fans are interested and invested in their relationship. They\u2019ll do the red-carpet photo op and gently tease one another on camera \u2013 but they\u2019ll never reveal too much, giving them a tantalising sheen of privacy.<\/p>\n
Their reticence to show us everything is understandable. They were both child stars, and steering a colossal franchise like Spider-Man<\/em> together has likely made them increasingly cautious of parasocial interest in their love life. Holland, who was born in Kingston-Upon-Thames and found fame in 2012\u2019s The Impossible<\/em> after playing Billy Elliot in the West End, said in 2023, \u201cOur relationship is something that we are incredibly protective of and we want to keep as sacred as possible. We don\u2019t think that we owe it to anyone, it\u2019s our thing, and it has nothing to do with our careers.\u201d California-raised Zendaya, who booked her first major role on the Disney Channel aged 14, said in 2023, \u201cI do have control over what I choose to share.\u201d<\/p>\n Thus their social media activity is sporadic, and mostly for projects \u2013\u00a0or in designer darling Zendaya\u2019s case, fashion with a capital F. She hasn\u2019t posted a picture of them together for almost four years. Their promotional commitments as co-stars is one of the only windows into their relationship we really get, and that\u2019s intentional. They don\u2019t attend big events as a couple, and Holland said last year that he deliberately avoids joining his partner on the red carpet for her solo projects because \u201cit\u2019s not my moment, it\u2019s her moment, and if we go together, it\u2019s about us\u201d. Nonetheless he is evidently her biggest stan, cheering with the crowds as he turns to watch her walk the red carpet, and regularly stepping aside and gesturing to the waiting cameras to take solo shots of his wife as he looks on adoringly.<\/p>\n