A source close to the couple told PEOPLE their breakup happened a “few weeks ago”

 
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After six seemingly blissful years together, Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn shocked fans with news of their sudden breakup.

Over the weekend, a source close to the pair confirmed to PEOPLE that the singer and her actor boyfriend were going their separate ways.

The split news comes as Swift is traveling the country for her sold-out Eras tour, at which the actor hasn’t been spotted.

Though the Grammy winner and the Favourite star kept their romance largely out of the spotlight during the course of their relationship, Swift did give a few glimpses of their love story through her music.

Since the release of Reputation in 2017, Swift has written numerous tracks about the English actor, from flirty pop tracks to love ballads.

In addition to being Swift’s muse, Alwyn also collaborated with Swift on recent projects, including writing songs for Folklore, Evermore and Midnights under the pseudonym William Bowery.

Fans believe the singer alluded to their split during her recent Eras Tour when she swapped one of her love ballads for a wistful breakup tune.

Here’s everything we know so far about Swift and Alwyn’s recent split.

Looking Back at All of Taylor Swift’s Love Songs Inspired by Joe Alwyn

When did Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn break up?

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn in 2019. GOR/GC IMAGES

In early April, a source close to the couple revealed that their breakup happened a “few weeks ago,” though the exact timing wasn’t specified.

Around that same time, Swift notably changed the Eras Tour setlist on her March 31 stop at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, swapping out Folklore‘s sweet paean to soulmates, “Invisible String,” for the nostalgic look-back at a lost love, “The 1,” from the same album.

Why did Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn break up?

A source close to the Grammy winner and the Conversations with Friends actor told PEOPLE their split was largely caused by “differences in their personalities.”

“They’ve had rough patches before and always worked things out, so friends thought they would take some time apart but eventually come back together,” the source said, noting that “ultimately” Swift and Alwyn “weren’t the right fit for one another.”

The source added that Swift’s superstardom was another factor in the split: “Joe has struggled with Taylor’s level of fame and the attention from the public.”

Joe Alwyn and Taylor Swift. CARLOS ALVAREZ/GETTY IMAGES; ANGELA WEISS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

In addition to the challenges of life in the limelight, “the differences in their personalities have also become harder to ignore after years together,” added the source. “They’ve grown apart.”

Though the couple had been talking about marriage, according to multiple sources, “Taylor didn’t see them working out in the long run,” said one insider.

Has Taylor Swift commented on the breakup?

KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY

Swift has not publicly commented on the breakup. However, many Swifties think she alluded to it during her recent Eras Tour, when she swapped out “Invisible String,” a song fans believe Swift wrote about Alwyn being her soulmate, for “The 1,” a breakup tune about wishing things could have worked out with an ex.

Fans also noted that Swift’s Arlington, Texas concert on April 1 featured “Death By a Thousand Cuts” and “Clean” as the surprise acoustic songs, two songs notably about getting through a big breakup.

Has Joe Alwyn commented on the breakup?

Like Swift, Alwyn has not publicly commented on the breakup. However, he does still follow the singer on Instagram and previously liked her Eras Tour rehearsal pictures on March 16.

What is next for Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn after their breakup?

Joe Alwyn, Taylor Swift. MIKE MARSLAND/WIREIMAGE, TERRY WYATT/GETTY IMAGES

Despite not being a couple anymore, a source told PEOPLE that Swift and Alwyn are still “friendly.” “She doesn’t have anything bad to say about Joe,” added the insider. “They just grew apart. Taylor is staying very focused on her tour right now.”

The same weekend the breakup news was announced, Swift was spotted filming a new music video in Liverpool on April 9. A couple of days later she stepped out in New York City for a casual dinner with Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley at Via Carota, an Italian restaurant about a 4-minute walk from Cornelia Street, a subject of one of Swift’s songs from her 2019 Lover album and where she once rented a home.

In addition to her Eras Tour, which concludes its U.S. leg in August, Swift is busy re-recording her past albums, with her most recent Easter eggs seeming to point towards a release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) in the near future.

As for Alwyn, he has been busy with a few movie projects. He is slated to star in Aneil Karia’s modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic Hamlet alongside Riz Ahmed. News of the project was first announced in May 2022, with filming slated to begin that summer in London.

In October 2022, he was cast in Yorgos Lanthimos’ And alongside his former The Favourite costar Emma Stone, who recently attended Swift’s opening night of her Eras Tour. Filming reportedly kicked off in New Orleans that same month and wrapped in December.

On April 11, 2023, it was announced that principal photography recently began in Hungary on the upcoming movie The Brutalist, in which Alwyn stars alongside Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce and Alessandro Nivola.

Later that month, his costar Emma Laird shared a photo of Alwyn riding a scooter in a carousel of images of the cast. It’s unclear exactly when the photo of Alwyn was taken, though Laird’s caption seems to imply the photo was snapped in March, before PEOPLE confirmed news of the actor’s breakup with Taylor Swift on April 8.