#Hiddleswift is over. The twitterati is hysterical. The tabloids are delighted. The paparazzi is, presumably, hovering over country singer Taylor Swift and Thor actor Tom Hiddleston, desperate for a photograph of one of them looking vaguely glum. The Power Couple is no longer.
Sources attributed to the inner circles of Camp Taylor say the breakup was her decision; Hiddleston’s court is claiming it was he who wielded the axe. Either way, the trolls have failed to identify that Hiddleswift is yet another couple who haven’t made it to the finishing line, thus highlighting the diminishing shelf-life of the 21st century Power Couple.
I am no relationship expert – far from it. But the fact of the matter is, none of us was thinking of buying a hat. Swift and Hiddleston were first photographed smooching in Rhode Island back in June – it’s been barely enough time for us to research milliners. Cue innumerate sickly public displays of affection, notably the excruciating ‘I <3 TS’ t-shirt Hiddleston wore swimming in July.
Does this latest development in the rise and fall of the Hiddleswift love affair highlight the death of the celebrity Power Couple?
Relationships in the spotlight have always suffered from the bruises of brevity, but more so when both of the lovebirds bask in fame and fortune. Consider Michael Jackson and Lisa-Marie Presley, both of whom were raised under the burning glare of publicity. The pair married in 1994 and divorced two years later. Presley later told US chat show host Oprah Winfrey that she was disliked the attention, claiming “I’ve never been comfortable being front and centre, honestly. Don’t like attention on me. Loved being next to him and taking care of him. I was on such a high doing that.”
Yet most Power Couples don’t speak publicly after the cessation of their love affairs. And an increasing number of high-powered couples are separating, divorcing, or in actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin’s case, ‘consciously uncoupling.’
Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, once considered the golden couple of Hollywood, lasted only half a decade. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart never reached the altar, but Katy Perry and Russell Brand did, before they parted ways two years later.
And then the Power Couples that do last are often blighted by rumours of infidelity. Posh and Becks, who have successfully built brand Beckham, that infiltrates the worlds of sport, fashion, music and literature (yes, they both have autobiographies), are one such example. Jay-Z and Beyonce’s marriage was recently called into question following the singer’s references to ‘Becky with the good hair’ in her recent visual album Lemonade. Ditto Bill and Hillary Clinton.
It would seem that two egos is one too many in famous Power Couples.
One ego, however, seems to be the secret to success in famed duos. Dolly Parton has been married to the relatively unknown Carl Dean since 1966: that’s millennia in the fickle world of fame. Actress Meryl Streep and husband Don Gummer have been wed since 1978. Similarly, Oprah and partner Stedman Graham have been in a ‘spiritual union’ since 1986. And don’t forget the politicians – both Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan had long and happy marriages.
The mathematics of the heart is always a complicated. But the ego count surely tells us that the Power Couple is over.
R.I.P Hiddleswift. And R.I.P to Power Couples.