Last year’s lockdowns hindered the traditional celebrity coupling – almost as much as they did regular romance. With awards ceremonies moved online and film productions halted, stars weren’t able to gather in their usual A-list settings – and we were starved of the excitement of seeing blurry candid shots of a new couple sneaking a snog during a filming break. Happily, 2021 has been kinder to us in that respect – much kinder. In fact, it’s been nothing short of a celebrity romance boom! It’s hard to pick the most seminal of new A-list pairings, but we’ll leave you to decide which of them has been responsible for the biggest cultural reset.
Celebrity Couples Of The Year
Bennifer 2.0
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez deserve special recognition for their services to outlandishly public displays of affection since they reunited in May this year 15 years after they called off their wedding. If we thought Bennifer 1.0 was extra, Bennifer 2.0 has gone even harder. The pair have now made several official outings together, including to the Venice Film Festival and the Met Gala. Off the red carpet, Jen was spotted with Ben and his ex-wife Jennifer Garner along with their children in late October. We say keep your eyes peeled for an ostentatious engagement announcement.
Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker
This couple went from nought to 60, engaged in less than a year after going public. After a fairly understated 'soft launch' in February (for the uninitiated, they revealed their relationship on Instagram with a photo of just their clasped hands, leaving sleuths to put two and two together), there has barely been an undocumented moment of Kourtney and Travis's romance – let's just say they're not afraid of showing us how passionate they are. In a rare interview, the Blink 182 drummer said of Kourtney, 'I'm invincible when I'm with her.' It all climaxed in an engagement on a beach in October, surrounded by red roses and the Kardashian clan (and, of course, cameras for the family's new reality show).
Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly
At the start of their relationship last year, the pair gave each other tattoos that read the 'darkest fairy tale'. They've stepped things up a notch in 2021, giving one of the most unhinged interviews of the year, in which MGK described their first kiss. 'We just put our lips right in front of each other and breathed each other's breath and then she just left.' Megan declared MGK to be her 'future baby daddy' at the MTV VMA awards in September – so watch this space.
Pete Davidson and Phoebe Dynevor...And Kim Kardashian
It was a busy year for the man known for his BDE (Big Dick Energy, as the internet termed his undeniable swagger). Having already dated Cindy Crawford's model offspring Kaia Gerber, as well as Kate Beckinsale and Ariana Grande – who inspired all that BDE talk after suggesting he was, er, physically gifted – the SNL comedian started the year squiring Bridgerton's Phoebe Dynevor all over town (including to Tesco in her hometown of Manchester – nothing if not game, our Pete). But, more recently, he's been spotted holding hands with a post-Ye Kim Kardashian on a roller-coaster. Could this be their happily ever after? Probably not, but he certainly seems to keep A-list women happy in the moment.
Pete Davidson and Phoebe Dynevor...And Kim Kardashian
Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim
When the reality stars went public with their romance in July, Selling Sunset obsessives let out a 'WTF?!'. But together they are and it's not just a publicity drive for season four. Chrishell told Grazia, 'I knew some people would think that, but the greatest part about being where I am in my life is that it doesn't bother me.'
Adele and Rich Paul
Nothing makes us happier than to see Adele happy. And although quite good at heartbreak, it seems that she is very much not immersed in that right now. Adele, whose divorce-inspired album 30 came out last month, was first spotted with sports agent Rich in July. Since then she's admitted she's smitten. 'I just love being around him. I just love it,' she said in October.