Joe Alwyn wanted to keep Taylor Swift relationship private

Joe Alwyn wanted to keep his six-year romance with Taylor Swift "personal".

The 33-year-old actor and the 34-year-old singer/songwriter were in a relationship for six years before their 2023 split and kept the romance largely out of the public eye.

A source told PEOPLE: "[The relationship] took a lot of people by surprise but he wasn’t showing off in some way.”

The insider added that Joe wanted the relationship to remain "his own personal story".

However, Taylor has referenced the romance on her new album 'The Tortured Poets Department' with a song called 'So Long, London'.

She sings: "I stopped trying to make him laugh / Stopped trying to drill the safe. And I'm [annoyed] you let me give you all that youth for free."

And on 'Fresh Out the Slammer', she sings: "Another summer taking cover / Rolling thunder, he don't understand me / Splintered back in winter / Silent dinner, bitter he was with her in dreams."

Taylor and Joe's romance was first revealed in May 2017, a few months after they started dating.

When asked about engagement reports in 2022, Joe told WSJ Magazine: "If I had a pound for every time I think I've been told I've been engaged, then I'd have a lot of pound coins.

"I mean, the truth is, if the answer was yes, I wouldn't say, and if the answer was no, I wouldn't say."

Following the split, Taylor went on to briefly date The 1975 singer Matty Healy and is currently in a relationship with NFL player Travis Kelce.