Tom Hiddleston Just Explained That ‘I Heart T.S.’ Shirt And The Truth Is Kinda Devastating

Break-ups are hard. They’re even harder when they come out of the blue. And they’re even harder again (we imagine) when the world’s media is analysing your every move.

Tom Hiddleston spoke in this month’s GQ about his relationship with, and eventual split from, singer Taylor Swift, and boy is it a tough read. While the relationship has been relegated to the “is this sh*t for real?” annals of 2016 by many, for Tom it seems the three month romance was legit. Very much so.

“Of course it was real,” he says in response to writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s questioning, during an interview that she says spanned two days, two dinners and one early morning hotel room conversation.

“Taylor is an amazing woman. She’s generous and kind and lovely, and we had the best time… I only know the woman I met. She’s incredible.”

Speaking about the difficulty of conducting a relationship under the watchful eye of reporters, Tom says it was tough, but that the pair tried their hardest to maintain some sense of normality. Hence the trip to England, the dinner dates and the beach walks.

“A relationship always takes work. A relationship in the limelight takes work. And it’s not just the limelight. It’s everything else,” Tom told GQ, adding that the couple both wanted a “regular” relationship. “So we decided to go out for dinner, we decided to travel.”

As for those much-mocked Fourth of July pictures of the actor wearing an “I Heart T.S.” tank top, Tom says he’s still shaken by the fact that the photos were shared so widely and were taken so “out of context” on social media.

“We were playing a game and I slipped and hurt my back,” he tells the magazine in explanation of how he came to be wearing the top, which belonged to one of Taylor’s pals.

“I wanted to protect the graze from the sun and said, ‘Does anyone have a T-shirt?’ And one of her friends said, ‘I’ve got this.’ And we all laughed about it. It was a joke. It was a joke. Among friends.”

Tom says he has struggled since last July with the way in which the photos were used against him, something which his former girlfriend is no doubt well used to at this stage of her career.

“The narratives that are out there altogether have been extrapolated from pictures that were taken without consent or permission, with no context. Nobody had the context for that story,” he recalls.

“And I’m still trying to work out a way of having a personal life and protecting it, but also without hiding. So the hardest thing is that that was a joke among friends on the Fourth of July.”

While the actor doesn’t give any explanation as to why the couple abruptly ended their relationship, he does imply that he is still recovering from a fair amount of heartbreak as a result of the split, but adds that he has “no regrets” because you have to “fight for love.”

Someone give Tom a hug ASAP, please?

• Taylor Swift
• tom hiddleston