It’s been a week since Robert Pattinson made the shocking announcement that he and Kristen Stewart had broken up. And while the Twihards and K-Stew fans are still hung up on the details of this confusing love/hate relationship, the general public might be wondering: What happened between these two? Did they go on a date?
To answer that question, we need to examine their entire on/off-screen relationship. From the moment they met — at a party in 2008, when Rob was 25 and Kristen was 22 — until this past week, when Robert finally made the break up official, they were inseparable. And while we might not always like what they did, we have to admit that they were totally dedicated to each other.
Here’s a breakdown of their six-year on-and-off-screen relationship.
A Brief History Of Their On-Screen Relationship
In 2008, Rob and Kristen met at a birthday party in Los Angeles. Rob was 25 and Kristen was 22, and their chemistry was immediately apparent. Not only were they the perfect age gap (which led to countless jokes about “candy wrappers” and “twilight fans”), but the spark between them was so real that it made even diehard Twihards question whether or not they were just acting.
The following year, they began appearing together in public — mostly at film festivals and premieres — and it was clear that this was no acting relationship. Their chemistry was undeniable, and people could tell that even when they weren’t kissing, they were thinking about each other. So it came as no great surprise when, in 2010, they were paired as Romeo and Juliet in the movie adaptation of the classic play.
Despite their obvious connection on screen, off the set Rob and Kristen maintained a fairly normal relationship for celebrities, staying away from the media as much as possible and only socializing with each other and their friends. They also avoided taking their professional relationship too seriously, frequently joking about their on-screen connection. When they were filming the latest instalment of the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, in 2012, they even joked about having sex on set during a break in filming, “just to thank each other for being there,” Rob remembered in a 2014 interview. (This did not happen, of course.)
But even among their on-screen partners, they stood out. While the other male leads in their movies were often either unlikable or dull, Rob was portrayed with such charm and charisma that it was hard not to like him. (Even some of Kristen’s friends had to admit that he was “amazing” in the Twilight franchise.)
It wasn’t until the following year that their personal life became public. In January 2013, after a brief dispute over Kristen’s use of the social networking site Facebook, Rob and Kristen officially confirmed their relationship. And not only did this cause waves of speculation about their private life, but it also made them the subject of endless think pieces in the media, from the New York Times to Buzzfeed. (If you want to read more, here’s a short guide to everything you need to know about Rob and Kristen’s personal life.)
The Ups And Downs Of Their On-And-Off-Screen Relationship
Once they were married in 2014, all bets were off. No longer just coworkers and on-screen partners, Rob and Kristen became the center of attention, with every detail of their private life scrutinized and discussed. (That they kept some of these conversations private only served to heighten the interest in their personal life.)
For the first time in their relationship, Kristen became the subject of gossip and innuendo, with many bloggers and journalists speculating about her personal life. Things got so bad that she even considered leaving Hollywood. “I did consider it at one point, just because of the way things had started to develop,” she said in an interview at the time. “It just became so frustrating… I didn’t want to let anyone down and make their job any easier. It was kind of a difficult position to be in.”
When it came to their professional relationship, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. In fact, over the last six years, their on-screen chemistry had begun to fade, as they struggled with issues such as Rob’s busy schedule and Kristen’s desire for fame. (As she began to succeed in Hollywood, Kristen even tried to “co-opt” parts of Robert’s image, donning fake mustaches and calling herself a “mogul.”) But they stayed committed to each other, even as their personal life became more public and their on-and-off-screen chemistry declined. (And as a result of their long-standing professional relationship, Rob is now one of the most popular and busiest actors in the world.) In an interview with Vanity Fair in 2014, Rob said that even though their collaboration “never was going to last forever”, they “stayed together as long as we could, and I think that when you find people that you really love and care about in this world, you should do everything you can to make it work.”
This past week, as their personal life continued to be thrown into the spotlight, Rob and Kristen officially ended their relationship. (They’ve since been spotted out and about, and he even popped the question in December 2016.) And while it’s still too early to tell how their romance will end, at least they know what they want from life now. “I want to be able to spend less time on social media,” Rob told Time in a 2017 interview. “I want to be able to wake up and not have my phone next to me in bed. I want to be able to focus on what’s important to me and not what’s important to other people.”
In 2018 alone, Rob and Kristen made headlines all over the world. While on one hand, their relationship was thrown into question after they failed to appear at the wedding of their good friends Jamie and Emily (which was subsequently covered by every major news organization), on the other, they were feted as cultural icons at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards and Academy Awards. (And let’s not forget about their incredible year in 2019 — with E! calling them “the most talked-about couple ever” that year.)
Even when they weren’t the center of attention, their life was still worthy of note. From attending Coachella in April 2019 to being spotted at the New York Comic-Con in October, fans couldn’t help but notice every detail of their lives. And, as with any other high-profile couple, they had a lot to share. From Rob’s fashion choices to Kristen’s beauty tips, here’s a roundup of all the interesting tidbits we learned about the personal life of this celebrity couple.
Their Fashion Choices
As we’ve established, off-screen Rob and Kristen have maintained a fairly normal relationship — at least, in terms of their personal life — which means that their fashion choices haven’t really changed. (Well, except for the fact that they’ve never been seen in public wearing the same outfit twice.) Still, over the years, they’ve developed a style that’s recognizable even to those who’ve never watched their movies. (It’s probably best explained as “Twilight chic.”)
In an interview with Time, Rob explained the thinking behind some of his fashion choices. “I think it’s safe to say that fashion and style was never a strong point of mine,” he said. “But over the years, I’ve gotten more into my fashion choices, and I think that’s because fashion and style is subjective. If you think a piece of clothing looks good on you, then you should wear it.”
In terms of the impact his fashion choices had on his life, he continued: “I feel like when I started getting more comfortable in my own skin, I started dressing a certain way as a reflection of that. When you feel good in what you’re wearing, you feel good enough in whatever you’re doing. You know what, maybe that’s all that matters.”
Beauty Tips From Kristen
Just like any other prominent female celebrity, whether or not to dye her hair has been a source of fascination for Kristen Stewart. (Not to mention her love of colorism — the preference for lighter-skinned women — which she’s openly discussed.)
In a 2017 Interview with Vanity Fair, she revealed that she’s always had a thing for natural light hair. “I’ve always preferred my hair without any chemicals in it,” she said. “It’s just really light and airy. I feel like if I had a pound for every time someone asked me if I was going to dye my hair, I’d be able to buy a nice car.”