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Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry: a timeline of their relationship

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom attend the AmFar Gala together  - 2018 Stefanie Keenan
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom attend the AmFar Gala together - 2018 Stefanie Keenan

To us humble outside observers/members of the plebeian masses, popstar Katy Perry and former elf Orlando Bloom always seemed like a bit of an odd couple... albeit one that we were quite happy to emotionally invest in.

Both stars were previously married: British-born Bloom, a 39-year-old father of one, separated from ex-wife Miranda Kerr in 2013, while 31-year-old Perry, the daughter of two born-again Californian Christians, endured an acrimonious split from her former husband Russell Brand in 2012. 

After first blossoming (blooming?) in the January 2016, Bloom and Perry's relationship was marked by futile early attempts at secrecy, and by a very un-secret August 2016 incident, involving a paddle-boat, a privacy breach, and a problematically-placed paparazzi snapper. 

Since then, statements have confirmed that the pair have now ended their romance – and then started it up again. To avoid confusion, here's how the whole thing unfolded. 

January 10 2016: did it all begin at the Golden Globes after party?

Bloom and Perry were friends for several years before they became a couple, but it looks as if their relationship (hashtag #Perrybloom) began in the January of this year, after they were pictured "getting close" at the Golden Globes after party in January.

Did Orlando kiss a girl? Did he like it? Was the girl in question Katy Perry? Was she wearing cherry chap stick? We don't know the answer to any of these questions. But we do know that, in the weeks following their rumoured Golden Globes tryst, the pair were spotted together again several times...

January 21 2016: attended a play together

One of these occasions was at a Los Angeles performance of the one-man play The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, starring James Lecesne.

Afterwards, Lecesne posted a picture of himself backstage, alongside Perry and Bloom (as well as actress Vinessa Shaw and her partner Kristopher Gifford).

February 12 2016: spotted at an Adele concert

Perry may well have spent "last Friday night" dancing on table tops/taking too many shots/kissing unmemorable people, but on Friday February 12 2016, she was very definitely attending an Adele concert with Bloom.

A blurry video of the pair smooching was later shared with the press, while a fellow concert-goer told the Mail Online: "They seemed to just be enjoying the show as they sung and danced along with some of their other friends."

Adele in concert - Credit: AP
Adele in concert Credit: AP

New relationships can of course be distracting, but Adele fans will be relieved to hear that it sounds as if Bloom and Perry remained suitably focused throughout.

"At certain points Orlando would give Katy a peck on the lips but then would just carry on enjoying Rolling In The Deep," explained the source.

Afterwards, the couple were snapped leaving via a back entrance, apparently in a (not very successful) attempt to keep things secret.

April 2016: pictured arm-in-arm at Coachella

By the time April rolled around, Perrybloom had apparently abandoned secrecy, allowing themselves to be pictured together as a couple at the Coachella music festival in California, land of Daisy Dukes, bikinis on top and and sun-kissed skin. The weather was hot, popsicles may or may not have been melted, and fellow festival-goers reported that the couple had been openly indulging in some PDA.

Even more romantically, they may even have been vaping together.

"They came in about 20 minutes in to The Kills set," a witness told E! News. "They were hugging and with a group of other people. Orlando was behind her and swaying with her to the music. They also were vaping together. They were kissing and very much a couple." 

May 2 2016: snapped at the Costume Institute Benefit Gala

We're a little disappointed: hair and makeup-wise, Perry apparently put in a lot more effort then Bloom when the pair attended the the Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York back in May.

The couple walked the red carpet separately, but were pictured together at various after parties, and later shared a taxi back to their hotel.

Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry at a Costume Institute Benefit Gala celebrating Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology in May 2016 - Credit: REX/Shutterstock/REX/Shutterstock
Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry at a Costume Institute Benefit Gala celebrating Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology in May 2016 Credit: REX/Shutterstock/REX/Shutterstock

May 20 2016: Katy makes it Instagram Official

In an bid to come clean (and stop coming at us like a dark horse?), on May 20 Perry shared a picture of herself and Bloom at the Cannes Film Festival.

August 2016: those photos emerge

During a holiday to Italy, Bloom decided to strip off while paddle-boarding with Perry. Unfortunately, an opportunistic photographer was lurking somewhere on the shore, long-lense camera in hand...and nude pictures of Bloom (albeit with a strategically placed black rectangle) were soon splashed across several tabloids.

September 5: Perry complains about the 'long distance' aspect of the relationship

“My boyfriend lives in Malibu, and getting used to that [drive] was like, ‘Are you kidding me? What kind of life is this?'” Los Angeles-based Perry told Women's Wear Daily. “There’s no pop-over and I never really got used to Malibu ’cause it’s halfway to Santa Barbara, so I’m always just going to Santa Barbara then.”

October 2016: Perrybloom attend a Halloween party dressed as Clinton and Trump

Anyone else feeling nostalgic for the innocent days of October, when we still believed that Hilary Clinton would win the US presidential election? And when Bloom and Perry (who campaigned for Clinton and performed at several Democrat rallies) decided to dress up as the Presidential hopeful and her rival for Kate Hudson's Halloween party?

Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry at Kate Hudson's Halloween party - Credit: Broadimage/REX/Shutterstock
Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry at Kate Hudson's Halloween party Credit: Broadimage/REX/Shutterstock

To achieve the impressive disguise, Perry reportedly spent hours having makeup and prosthetics applied.

While fans initially believed that Bloom had dressed up as Clinton's husband, Bill, closer shots later revealed that he was in fact dressed as Trump (seen standing behind Perry in the picture above), and that a different friend had donned the Bill disguise.

November 22 2016: reported split

While their split is yet to be confirmed, in November 2016 it was reported that Perry and Bloom had separated after just 10 months together.

"Not long after Halloween, Orlando confessed to pals that he'd decided to end their relationship," a source told In Touch Weekly. "He claimed that he's just not ready to get married and have babies."

But a separate source indicated that Bloom was most likely not "the one that got away", and that Perry may have instigated the split.

“She said they were on different life paths and as much as she likes him, it’s time to move on,” claimed the unnamed "insider".

March 1 2017: 'Orlando and Katy are taking respectful, loving space at this time'

It took four months, but a statement from both Bloom and Perry's reps confirmed that they are not together – but that the space between them was indeed "loving". 

Here's what it said, according to People magazine: "Before rumors or falsifications get out of hand, we can confirm that Orlando and Katy are taking respectful, loving space at this time".

A post shared by Orlando Bloom (@orlandobloom) on Feb 27, 2017 at 11:15am PST

But it's not as clear-cut as that: just days ago, Bloom posted a photo of him holding Perry's dog on Instagram, and the pair were pictured looking cosy at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party on Sunday night.

April 12 2017: Bloom breaks the silence 

Five weeks after the mysterious break-up announcement from their representatives, Bloom breaks the silence with a strangely earnest comment on how things are going.

Bloom told Elle UK:

We're friends. It's good. We're all grown-up. She happens to be someone who is very visible, but I don't think anybody cares what I'm up to. Nor should they. It's between us. It's better to set an example for kids and show that [break-ups] don't have to be about hate. 

We're sure that all of the youth are looking towards Perry and Bloom for relationship guidance. 

August 14 2017: PerryBloom spotted at an Ed Sheeran concert

Given Sheeran's Grammy-winning, record-breaking success with songs that almost entirely mine the depths of the heart, this would be a strange choice to take one's ex-partner to. In August 2017, then, we concluded that Bloom and Perry were either sadists, or they were attempting to rekindle their romance. Twitter was divided:

December 31 2017: They go to Japan to celebrate New Year's Eve

As recorded in Perry's Instagram stories. Makes one wonder what happened when the clock struck midnight... A week later, they were seen comfortably relaxing in the Maldives together. 

February 13 2018: The tabloids pick up the scent 

Nothing to warm up a rekindled relationship like a "source" telling The Sun that it's officially back on. Especially 24 hours before Valentine's Day. "Katy wants to make things work this time around," the tabloid reported. "She tried, but she couldn’t cut him off. She cares too much about him. This time, they’re keeping things low key – but they’re back together.”

April 26 2018: Perry says she is 'spoken for'

Perry, proto-feminist, vocal Hilary Clinton supporter and creator of the empowerment anthem Roar, suggests she is in a relationship using that most archaic term of losing one's voice. "No, I'm sorry I have been spoken for and speak for myself," she told Entertainment Tonight following an incident on American Idol, and added, "And I'm very happy!"

The reporter responded, "You're spoken for right now?!" and Katy replied, "Yeah, girl, of course I am!"

September 26 2018: They're back on the red carpet

Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry in Monaco
Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry in Monaco

Gossip-mongers delight in the nostalgic sight of PerryBloom dressed up in their finest and treading the red carpet of the extremely low-key Gala for the Global Ocean hosted by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco at Opera of Monte-Carlo. 

October 22 2018: Bloom says he's 'ready to settle down'

Hat sales sky-rocket: Bloom is reportedly ready to put his playboy days behind him (such as those detailed in Lily Allen's recently publishd memoir) and "settle down with Katy.” Reports emerged of his bliss in the US after the pair attended the amfAR Gala together in Los Angeles. 

“She hasn’t put any pressure on their relationship lately, and everything is just easy. Being with Katy makes Orlando very happy,” People claimed. “In the past, he seemed so scattered and unwilling to settle down. He is like a new person now and everyone is excited for him.”