Zendaya Maree Coleman sent shock waves through Hollywood when she showed up at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards with a diamond on her left ring finger. The gorgeous two-toned stone confirmed what fans had anticipated for years—that Tom Holland had finally popped the question.

The actors started a beautiful, private friendship after meeting at a chemistry read in 2016. They soon took that chemistry off-screen in 2021 when it was confirmed that they were in a relationship. In late 2024, they took the next big step, as Holland proposed during their end-of-year vacation.

With Zendaya and Holland scheduled to star in Christopher Nolan’s The Oddysey and the latest Spider-Man movie, the newly engaged couple has a lot to expect. Here’s a peek into the timeline of how their love story unfolded.

Zendaya and Tom Holland Are Officially Engaged

In December 2024, Holland was the guest of British broadcaster Nick Grimshaw and Michelin-star chef Angela Hartnett on the Dish podcast. In the episode, he discussed his family’s Christmas traditions, then segued into his plans for the upcoming holidays, where he revealed his plans to spend time with Zendaya’s family at a secret location.

Holland’s father, Dominic, later revealed in a Patreon blog post that Tom had bought a carefully selected engagement ring, sought permission from Zendaya’s parents, and planned every detail for a private proposal.

As sources at TMZ found out, the Spider-Man star proposed between Christmas and New Year’s at Zendaya’s family home. The couple has always been particularly private, so it was no surprise that the proposal was intimate, with just Zendaya and Holland present.

On January 6, Zendaya debuted the gorgeous stone on the red carpet at the Golden Globes. As a Bvlgari Global Brand Ambassador, the brand made an earlier press release detailing her pieces — a  48-carat High Jewelry necklace with matching earrings and ring. Everyone was curious when she arrived, sporting an extra ring that had been left out of the release.

 

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The ring’s position on her left finger wasn’t enough of a clue, so an LA Times reporter asked Zendaya if she was engaged. In response, she smiled, held up her left hand, and wiggled her fingers to show off the massive stone.

According to National Jeweler, Zendaya’s engagement ring combines a modern “east-west set and two-tone white and yellow gold stone” with a more antiquated “Georgian-style cut-down setting.” While the publication’s resident natural diamond expert, Grant Mobley, believes the stone is about 4 carats, jewelry designer Stephanie Gottlieb estimates it is as large as 5 to 6 carats.

 

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Mobley also estimates that the ring is worth $100,000 to $150,000, but heritage gemstone wholesaler Julia Hackman Chafé (via Today) pegged the figure at over $200,000.

Zendaya and Tom Holland’s Relationship Timeline: From Spider-Man to Engagement

Tom and Zendaya first met while auditioning for Spider-Man: Homecoming. In July 2016, Holland shared a photo of Zendaya and himself enjoying a summer pool day with another friend.

Image credits: @tomholland2013

Their red carpet chemistry also began at about the same time, as photos from the July 2016 San Diego Comic-Con show the pair being adorably goofy.

Image credits: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Late 2016 to Early 2017: Zendaya and Holland’s Public Friendship

The young stars have publicly admired one another since November 2016 when Zendaya posted a cover of The Hollywood Reporter, where she and Holland were named the Next Gen 2016 fastest climbing actors. In the caption, she claimed to be “honored to share it [the cover] with the very best…Spider-Man himself.“

 

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Before the premiere of Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 7, 2017, Tom Holland shared with People how special his friendship with Zendaya was, saying, “We are like the best of friends. She’s so great and amazing.”

Holland, who was still adjusting to fame then, was in awe of Zendaya’s experience navigating the spotlight. He said, “I’m a little worried [about dealing with fame]…but Zendaya is super famous, and she’s been through this. I just call her up and say, ‘How do I manage being famous?’ I’m very glad I have a friend like her,” he told People.

Zendaya, too, discussed their friendship openly during its early days. She told Variety in August 2017, “He’s a great guy. He’s truly one of my closest friends. This past how many months we’ve had to do press tours together. There’s very few people that will understand what that’s like at 20 years old.”

2017 to 2018: Friend Dates and Social Media Shoutouts

One of the earliest hints at the growing closeness between Tom Holland and Zendaya was when he was spotted sharing a meal with her parents at Bobby Van’s Central Park South in December 2017. Onlookers told Page Six that Holland “charmed“ the Colemans while they enjoyed a circus-themed cake celebrating Zendaya’s latest project, The Greatest Showman.

A couple of months later, the pair were spotted on an afternoon walk through Melrose Avenue in March 2018. They even stopped by the Spiderman statue at Golden Apple Comics to take goofy pictures with web-shooting poses.

Image credits: Golden Apple Comics

At Zendaya’s Met Gala debut in May 2018, Holland posted a celebratory picture of her on his Instagram, captioning it, “All hail the queen. Killing it mate 🙌🏻“

 

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On Zendaya’s birthday in September, he shared a paparazzi shot of their comic store visit with the caption, “Me, myself and the birthday girl. Happy birthday mate – keep killing it and paving the way for the rest of us ♥️“

 

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2019 to 2021: The Beginning of a Relationship and On-Screen Romance

Holland’s visible affection towards Zendaya has fueled speculation about a potential romantic relationship between the two. However, in an interview with Elle in June 2019, he clarified that he was not involved with anyone but was “definitely a relationship person. ” “I’m not the fleeting type at all; it’s not my way of life,” he added.

Nonetheless, that didn’t stop fans worldwide from swooning as they watched Holland and Zendaya’s characters, Peter Parker and Michelle “MJ“ Jones, share their first on-screen kiss in Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Though there wasn’t much public information on their relationship, in July 2021, Page Six published a photo of Holland and Zendaya kissing and laughing in the actor’s Audi. Other footage showed them walking with Zendaya’s mother, Claire Stoermer, out of her Silver Lake residence and carrying items to the car. 

A couple of months after the paparazzi shot, the duo finally made their relationship Instagram-official when Holland posted a picture of them on Zendaya’s birthday in 2021. He captioned the sweet shot, “My MJ, Ihave the happiest of birthdays. Gimme a call when your up xxx.”

Image credits: @tomholland2013

About a month later, he posted another picture of Zendaya on the red carpet at the Dune premiere with the caption “Dune 😍.“

 

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In December 2021, on the day before the release of Spider-Man, No Way Home, Zendaya made a hard launch of her own with an Instagram post of Holland on the Spider-Man: No Way Home set. Her caption said, “My Spider-Man, I’m so proud of you, some things never change and good thing♥️”

Image credits: @zendaya

After the news broke, the couple began to display affection publicly. A heartwarming example is Holland’s off-the-cuff comment while in the middle of an interview at an event for No Way Home: “There she is — looking beautiful, might I add.”

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2022 to 2024: Couple Outings and Public Displays of Affection

The couple’s relationship extended to their families; in January 2022, Zendaya visited Holland’s family home in London. Photos captured her arm wrapped around Holland in the street, while Elle reported that the couple watched Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on West End with Holland’s brothers.

Barely a month later, People reported that Zendaya and Holland attended the New York screening of Holland’s new movie, Uncharted, in complementary outfits. Later in February, Page Six “spies” captured Holland’s intimate dinner with Zendaya at Antica Pesa in Rome. The eyewitness reported that Zendaya “seemed visibly thrilled.”

According to the report, the couple “sat in a corner by the fireplace and were adorable together. They looked in love.” In a collaborative post with the chef, the restaurant shared a photo thanking them for the night.

Image credits: @f_panella

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In March 2022, they made another charming appearance on the Sony Pictures YouTube channel as they rewatched their initial Spider-Man auditions alongside their co-star, Jacob Batalon.

Beyond Spider-Man, Holland was a big part of Zendaya’s work in HBO Max’s Euphoria. At an April 2022 event, Zendaya referred to her relationship in the light of her Emmy-winning performance as Rue, a high schooler recovering from a drug addiction.

While speaking with Entertainment Tonight about detaching from her on-screen personality, she said, “I think it’s great to have that support and love around you because you need that…to free you up from it every now and then.“

The PDA continued with a monochrome photo of Tom and her cuddling that she posted on his birthday in June 2022. The caption was, “Happiest of birthdays to the one who makes me the happiest <3.“

Image credits: @zendaya

Four months later, the couple visited the Louvre, where a fan shared pictures of them holding hands while looking at classical art on X (formerly Twitter).

Tom Holland y Zendaya en el Museo del Louvre, París. pic.twitter.com/e9PWtq8tLg

— ༒ 𝕷𝖎𝖌𝖊𝖎𝖆 ༒ (@twiggywitch) October 8, 2022

Later in the year, Holland explored Zendaya’s childhood with her as they visited her alma mater, the Oakland School for the Arts, in December 2022. The Co-Chair of the Theatre Department, Tavia Percia, shared photos from the visit.

Image credits: @taviapercia

Some months later, a video posted by Zendaya’s manicurist showed her wearing a ring engraved with Holland’s initials. At about the same time, fans pointed out on X that Tom’s pants were engraved with a ‘Z.‘

 

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In July 2023, Tom also discussed his relationship with Zendaya on the SmartLess podcast, as shared on YouTube. The actor said, “I’m lucky that I have someone like Zendaya in my life. It’s interesting being in a romantic relationship with someone that is in the same boat as you. You can share your experiences and all that sort of stuff — and that’s worth its weight in gold.”

For her 27th birthday in September 2023, he posted another Instagram story of her wearing a scuba diving mask with the caption, “My birthday girl 😍”

Tom Holland shares new photo of Zendaya for her birthday:

“My birthday girl 😍” pic.twitter.com/L3QUTlHWjG

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) September 1, 2023

2024 to Early 2025: Interviews and Movie Projects

In early 2024, the couple was primarily focused on promoting the second part of Dune. Daily Mail obtained photographs of them walking with hands interlocked in London as they left the afterparty in February.

Tom Holland’s name also came up in an interview about the movie with BuzzfeedCeleb. Zendaya redirected a question about the cast to speak about her boyfriend, saying, “I’m more shy and kind of quiet, so it takes a little bit more to pull me out of my shell. But he’s great at just talking to people and getting to know people. You see him on talk shows and stuff like that. He’s just naturally very good at that. Whereas for me, I’ve definitely had to pull it out of me a little bit. He’s got that natural gift.”

 

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Image credits: MediaPunch/Bauer-Griffin / Getty Images

Zendaya also reflected on their on-set dynamic in a 2024 Vanity Fair interview, saying, “I love working with him. He’s so talented and so passionate about what he does. He always gives things one thousand percent, even if he’s absolutely worn down. I really appreciate that about him.”

Her praise isn’t surprising, given the firm friendship the pair built while working together. “It feels pretty normal,” Zendaya said when referencing their origins in friendship. “That’s how we met. Literally, at a chemistry read.”

The couple has lain low for most of 2025, with Holland skipping the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and even the Oscars. Nonetheless, their presence was felt well enough with Zendaya’s ring debut at the 2025 Golden Globes.

How Zendaya and Tom Holland Handle Privacy

The couple has been conscientious about keeping things private right from the start. Holland confessed that he and Zendaya “felt robbed of our privacy“ with the paparazzi shot of their kiss in 2021.

In the interview with GQ, he acknowledged that “One of the downsides of our fame is that privacy isn’t really in our control anymore, and a moment that you think is between two people that love each other very much is now a moment that is shared with the entire world. I’ve always been really adamant tokeep my private life private because I share so much of my life with the world anyway,” 

Zendaya shared his sentiments, as she confessed in the same interview that the pictures were “quite strange and weird and confusing and invasive.” She explained that “the equal sentiment [they both share] is just that when you really love and care about somebody, some moments or things, you wish were your own.… I think loving someone is a sacred thing and a special thing and something that you want to deal with and go through and experience and enjoy amongst the two people that love each other.”

In August 2023, she also discussed the influence of her growing fame and fans on her relationship with Elle. In her words, “Parts of my life, I accept, are going to be public. 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. You can’t hide. That’s not fun, either. I am navigating it more than ever now.”

Nonetheless, the two have managed to navigate the tricky waters of a publicized relationship rather well. When spilling details about their romance, they respect each other’s boundaries and comfort levels. That mutual respect has enabled them to balance the intricacies and pressures of fame and their growing relationship.

In a 2023 interview with Hollywood Reporter, the couple proved that their efforts and sentiments remain the same three years into their relationship. Holland said “Our relationship is something that we are incredibly protective of and we want to keep as sacred as possible. We don’t think that we owe it to anyone; it’s our thing, and it has nothing to do with our careers.”

Supporting Each Other Through Fame

According to a source from US Weekly, Zendaya and Holland’s approach to their relationship has encouraged them to “challenge one another while maintaining a healthy balance.”

Beyond speaking highly of their working relationship during joint projects, they have been immensely supportive of each other’s individual projects.

On the cusp of the release of Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers, Zendaya’s first movie as a leading lady, Holland shared the movie poster on Instagram with the caption, “I know what I’m doing this weekend!” According to HuffPost, he also posted the movie trailer on his Instagram stories, tagging her.

Image credits: MGM Studios

Zendaya reciprocated the support between May and August 2024 when Holland played the leading man in an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. In a May 2024 Vogue interview, she said she “could not be more proud.” of him.

According to Teen Vogue, the actress was seen multiple times at the Duke of York’s Theater over the three months of the play. On the closing night, she showed up with a romantic rose bouquet for her beau.

Zendaya also made a big appearance at the launch of Holland’s new non-alcoholic beer brand, Bero. According to Elle, the couple matched outfits to celebrate the drink launch inspired by Holland’s journey to sobriety. Holland also posted an Instagram story of Zendaya and him trying the drink for the first time at Foxhole Bar in Boston.

 

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Both stars are a part of Christopher Nolan’s new production, The Odyssey, which began filming in February 2025 in Aït Benhaddou, Morocco. Leaked photos from TMZ showed the star couple hard at work alongside the rest of the cast.

According to an analysis of the images by MaxBlizz, Holland has been cast as Telemachus, while Zendaya will play Athena. The crew will also be filming parts of the movie in Sicily, Italy, and on the Island of Favignana.

As Holland announced on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, Zendaya and he will be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Spiderman 4. The movie was initially scheduled to start filming in the early summer of 2024 in preparation for a July 24, 2026 release.

However, according to the Hollywood Reporter, the release date has been postponed to July 31, 2026, to space it out from the July 17 release of The Odyssey. 

Zendaya and Tom Holland’s Future: Wedding Plans and Upcoming Projects

In the wake of their engagement, a source told Page Six that “Tom and Zendaya’s families are ecstatic. Zendaya’s mom and sisters can’t wait to start planning with her.” However, with their packed work schedules, reports say that  “there is no wedding date or plan set yet. It’s far too soon to start thinking about any of that yet. They’re still celebrating the exciting news.”

On the contrary, another source close to the couple told Life&Style that they “can’t wait to say their vows and finally get hitched sometime this year [2025]. The source also claims that they are “planning a romantic future together on both sides of the Atlantic“ and “looking to start a family this year as well.“

Professionally, expectations are high for the couple’s performance in The Odyssey, which will mark their first major on-screen reunion since Spider-Man.

As for the latest movie in their signature franchise, producer Amy Pascal revealed on Deadline’s Behind The Lens that in Spider-Man 4, Holland’s character will “have to deal with the fact that he decided he was going to give up being Peter Parker, and he was gonna focus on being Spider-Man because being Peter Parker was too hard.” Screen Rant surmises that this will add up to a “street-level story…as Peter Parker is in a truly dark place in the MCU.“

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