Leo Woodall may have cracked the secret to a healthy relationship
When your job involves playing various heartthrobs in hit TV shows and movies, you’d naturally expect some level of intrigue when it comes to your IRL dating life. But for Leo Woodall, who stars alongside Renée Zellweger in the upcoming Bridget Jones movie, separating his professional and personal life is not only preferable – it’s essential.
In an interview with Elle, he said of his relationship with White Lotus co-star Meghann Fahy, "We’re very good at keeping it as private as we can. To me, that’s the only way.
"You see public relationships all the time slapped all over social media and I can’t imagine that’s any fun. [Your relationship] should be a safe space, so I think letting people into it is completely counter-productive."
Of course, he’s not the only celebrity to shield their love life from the public eye. Despite the attention her previous (and subsequent) relationships received, when Taylor Swift was with actor Joe Alwyn, the pair were notoriously guarded. So, too, are Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet – to the point where they avoid walking the red carpet together and don’t even follow each other on social media.
Although there are some details out there about Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes’ marriage – and he dedicated his Golden Globe for La La Land to her in 2017 – they rarely speak about their relationship or their children publicly either.
And, while Zendaya and Tom Holland are arguably the most famous couple in the world, the Spider-Man co-stars say very little in the press about one another, and actively distance themselves from public discourse where possible.
But even for us ordinary folk, there can be a desire to keep things off-grid – quite literally in the age of social media. (I mean, let’s face it, we’ve all done the hard launch only to regret it after the breakup two months later…)
According to relationship expert and counsellor Georgina Sturmer, there is good reason to want to protect our relationships from scrutiny. She says: "It’s a natural instinct for us to pay attention to other people's opinions and judgements. But this can mean that we end up allowing other people’s opinions to cloud our own.
"So there’s something about keeping things private that allows us to tune into our own gut feelings and responses, rather than being swayed or influenced by others."
She also notes that different people show their affection and dedication in different ways, and there’s no "right" or "wrong" approach when it comes to love.
"If someone is more naturally extroverted, then it might be natural for them to share details with other people. By contrast, an introvert might prefer to keep things quiet,” she explains. “If we have been hurt or let down in the past, then we might be more reluctant to go public about a relationship. If we have a fear about other people's judgments – whether it’s rational or imagined – it might also stop us from going public."
That’s not to say privacy is always a good thing. According to Sturmer, it very much depends on the motivation behind the desire for privacy.
"If it’s done to protect the relationship from external threats, or to allow things to develop naturally – without fear of outside influence – then this all feels like a positive step," she comments.
"However, there are reasons why the need for privacy might indicate something more concerning. It might indicate a lack of commitment, a sense of uncertainty, or even embarrassment about the relationship." (Or that they’re not seeing you exclusively, ahem…)
But overall, Sturmer stresses that we all have different expectations when it comes to how private and public we are with our relationships – including social media activity.
"Some of us might consider it flattering if our partner posts about our relationship," she explains. "Others might consider it too public.
"The key is to communicate honestly with each other about this, so that you don’t end up feeling frustrated or resentful."
Read more about relationships:
Harriet Walter says marrying later in life is 'exactly when you want to be married' (Yahoo Life UK)
Naomi Watts reveals surprising 'most romantic words' Billy Crudup ever said to her (Yahoo Life UK)
Tom Holland Opens Up About Zendaya 'Date Night' And It's A Lot Less Romantic Than You'd Hope (HuffPost, 2-min read)
