TBT: Calvin Harris Regretted That He "Snapped" at Taylor Swift After They Split

The aftermath of their messy breakup played out on Twitter in 2016.

Who: Twelve-time Grammy-winning singer and songwriter, Taylor Swift, 33, and Scottish DJ, music producer, and songwriter, Calvin Harris, 39.

How They Met: Swift and Calvin were introduced by their mutual friend Ellie Goulding backstage at the Elle Style Awards in February 2015. And lucky for the internet, a fan just so happened to snap a photo of the exact moment it happened, with Ellie and Taylor approaching Calvin, who was chatting with Sam Smith.

"Calvin is a really great mate and he's so fantastic, and Taylor is such a cool person who I love,” Goulding told The Sun about playing matchmaker. “I thought, 'They're both really awesome and both really tall, they'll be brilliant together.”

Ellie was right — the two immediately hit it off and the next day, they met up at the Brit Awards and hung out at an afterparty. And saw each other again the day after that.

In the following months, it was obvious that Taylor and Calvin were a couple (coordinating outfits, shopping at Whole Foods, major PDA), but they didn’t make it official until they attended the 2015 Billboard Music Awards together in May.

Related:TBT: Taylor Swift Said Anxiety Was the "Number One Feeling" She Felt While Dating Harry Styles

Why We Loved Them: After a string of high-profile flings, Taylor entered her longest public relationship with Calvin (at the time). She previously dated Joe Jonas, Harry Styles, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Mayer, and Taylor Lautner, but those romances only lasted a few months before fizzling out. With Calvin, it felt like Taylor was ready to settle down — and she did, for a little over a year.

During an interview with Vogue, Swift described her relationship with Harris as “magical.” “I’m in a magical relationship right now,” she gushed at the time. “And of course I want it to be ours, and low-key this is the one thing that’s been mine about my personal life.”

When They Peaked: While most couples go Instagram official with a PDA-filled photo, Taylor and Calvin did things a little differently, and, instead, revealed they were in a relationship with the DJ posting a picture of Taylor’s beloved cats — Olivia Benson and Meredith Grey — to his grid.

The Breakup: Taylor and Calvin’s breakup was very messy and very public. After fifteen months of dating, the two called it quits on their relationship in June 2016. And while both stayed quiet in the wake of the split at first, Harris eventually went off on Swift on Twitter after the media began reporting that she wrote the DJ’s hit song, “This Is What You Came For.”

“I figure if you’re happy in your new relationship you should focus on that instead of trying to tear your ex bf down for something to do. I know you’re off tour and you need someone new to try and bury like Katy [Perry] ETC but I’m not that guy, sorry. I won’t allow it, ” Harris wrote at the time in a since-deleted series of tweets. “Please focus on the positive aspects of YOUR life because you’ve earned a great one.”

Reflecting on his social media rant a year later, Calvin said he regretted his behavior. “It was completely the wrong instinct,” Harris told British GQ. “I was protecting what I see as my one talent in the world being belittled. It felt like things were piling on top of me and that was when I snapped.”

He continued, “It’s very difficult when something I consider so personal plays out very publicly. The aftermath of the relationship was way more heavily publicized than the relationship itself. When we were together, we were very careful for it not to be a media circus. She respected my feelings in that sense. I’m not good at being a celebrity. But when it ended, all hell broke loose. Now I see that Twitter thing as a result of me succumbing to pressure. It took me a minute to realize that none of that matters. I’m a positive guy. Now I see that Twitter thing as a result of me succumbing to pressure.”

As for why he and Taylor broke up, Calvin offered a simple explanation: “For both of us it was the wrong situation. It clearly wasn’t right, so it ended.”

Where They Are Now:  Swift briefly dated actor Tom Hiddleston immediately following her split from Harris, before she embarked on a six-year-long relationship with her most recent partner, Joe Alwyn. However, last month, it was announced that Swift and Alwyn called it quits.

Distracting herself from the breakup blues, Swift is currently kicked off her Eras Tour for her new album Midnights, which was released in October 2022. This year, Taylor made Grammys history when she won Best Music Video for "All Too Well: The Short Film," becoming the first artist to win the category with a sole directing credit for their own music video.

Related:Taylor Swift Said Taylor Lautner Would "Always" Be Her Crush — Nearly a Year After They Broke Up

Two years after his split from Swift, Harris reconnected with one of his ex-girlfriends, model Aarika Wolf, in 2018. They went on to date for four years, before calling it quits for good in March 2022. Harris is now engaged to TV and radio presenter Vick Hope.

While he still continues to create chart-topping hits ("Miracle" with Ellie Goulding is his latest), Calvin recently bought a 138-acre farm in Ibiza, where he produces everything from vegetables and eggs to wine.

#TBT: Check in every Thursday as we throw it back to some of our favorite celebrity couples of all time.

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