Tom Holland Publicly Gushes Over Girlfriend Zendaya in Honor of her 27th Birthday

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 2 September 2023

Zendaya turned 27 yesterday, and the occasion inspired her normally private boyfriend Tom Holland to celebrate her publicly: “My birthday girl,” he captioned a photo of Zendaya in full snorkeling gear on his Instagram story, giving a thumbs-up to the camera. He added a heart-eyes emoji for extra emphasis.

The second photo he shared tripled the heart-eye emojis and showed Zendaya “from behind on a stroll through a park as she walked two dogs, her hair blowing in the wind,” People reports.

Tom Holland and Zendaya on the red carpet promoting Spider-Man

Holland’s birthday tribute follows Zendaya’s own birthday shoutout to him back in June, when she wished Holland a happy birthday alongside a series of photos of her boyfriend, also adding her own series of emojis. Holland “had a smile from ear to ear in one pic, snapped as he posed on a cliff overlooking a sprawling sea,” People reports. “Another pic showed Holland making a heart symbol with his hands as he swam in the water.”

Tom Holland and Zendaya look lovingly at one another on the red carpet

Zendaya recently opened up to Elle about public interest in her relationship with Holland: “Parts of my life, I accept, are going to be public,” she said. “I can’t not be a person and live my life and love the person I love. But also, I do have control over what I choose to share. It’s about protecting the peace and letting things be your own but also not being afraid to exist.”

She added “You can’t hide. That’s not fun either. I am navigating it more than ever now.”

Zendaya and Holland have known one another for years, having met on the set of the Spider-Man franchise, in which they both star. They have been a couple since at least 2021, though they had been rumored to be a couple for years prior; heretofore, they have kept their relationship largely under wraps.

For her part, Zendaya marked her own birthday with a post on Instagram, an adorable photo of her younger self captioned "Every year I grow I'm reminded of how precious this life is." She continued "Thank you all for helping me fill it up with so much love. Your kind words and constant support means everything to me. Thank you so so much and here's to 27."

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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