Hot on the heels of his split with Kristen Stewart, Hollywood star Robert Pattinson is reportedly dating tennis ace Serena Williams. The former Twilight star has been consistently vocal about her distaste for monogamy and has previously been romantically linked to Madonna.
While there’s been no official statement from either party, multiple reports claim to have heard from “reliable sources” that Williams and Pattinson are an item. But just what do we know about the state of their relationship?
The Sun is one of the first to bring news of the impending Serena-Robert coupling, revealing that the pair spent the weekend together in Paris. In the report, a “source” is quoted as saying: “They were seen leaving a bar together and were later caught on camera locking lips as they made their way to Serena’s Hotel.”
Whether or not to believe the tabloid isn’t really the point: the fact that a tabloid published such a thing implies there must be some truth behind it. So it’s probably best to look at what others are saying about the relationship, as well.
‘He Is Not for Me’
Madonna, who previously confirmed that she had been in a relationship with Pattinson, has spoken publicly about why she and her beau decided to call it a day. In a 2014 interview with Elle UK, the Material Girl admitted that her former lover didn’t meet her basic needs. She admitted: “He is not for me, in the sense that I think he will never be able to give me the child that I want, or the happiness that I seek. That is not to say that he is a bad person or that I am a bad person for wanting a child.”
The 55-year-old singer went on to explain why she decided to have children after years of being childless, saying: “At this point, I haven’t decided whether or not I will have children. It’s still something that I think about. But it’s not just something that I think about. It’s essential to me.”
‘Too Expensive to Repair’
Meanwhile, another one of Madonna’s former lovers, Greek shipping heir Alexandros Vertis, discussed the end of his 4-year relationship with the Material Girl in a 2016 interview with British Vogue. When asked if there was any way he could have prevented it from ending in such a dramatic fashion, Vertis replied: “We were together for a very long time. But, at the same time, it was a real relationship. And it did end really abruptly, for both of us.”
Vertis revealed that he and Madonna had planned to renew their vows after their first ceremony in 2010, but that she ultimately decided against it. He added: “I think as soon as you commit to each other like that, it is already there. There is no going back. If you want to change something, you have to change it. But it is what it is.”
‘Walking Dead’
Pattinson was also reportedly involved with American model Abbey Clancy for a time. The New York Post published a gossip column in which it was claimed that the couple had spent a weekend in Paris together. According to the newspaper, the couple walked the streets of the French capital holding hands and “wore matching diamond studs.”
But perhaps the most interesting piece of gossip comes from the Twitter account @ClancysAbbey, which has over 38.2 million followers. The anonymous account’s first tweet, which is now almost a year old, reads: “I’ve seen @robertpattinson eat some really weird shit. Like… walk away with your mind a little bit messed up.”
Since then, @ClancysAbbey has mostly focused on news about the celebrities involved in the Walking Dead TV show. The account has over 22.6 million followers and is filled with tweets about the latest developments in the zombie series.
‘I Just Want to Have Fun’
Pattinson has also been linked to English actress Lily Collins, though nothing is known about their relationship other than the fact that they were seen leaving a nightclub together in May 2015. Collins, who became a teen celebrity after starring in the Divergence trilogy, shared a sweet message on Instagram after the news of her alleged romance with Pattinson went public. “I’m not going to lie,” she wrote, “it’s been pretty cool to have my story told in such a way that the world will want to know more about me, even if it is through my boyfriend.”
Pattinson has also been linked to model/actress Hanne Møller, with whom he was photographed in a “very passionate make out” while on vacation in Italy in July 2015. A source told The Daily Mail that the pair had been dating for about a year, but that they “just want to keep things private as much as possible.”
‘Pervy’
And then there’s Emily Maynard, a 23-year-old British TV personality, model and singer who has 1.6 million followers on Instagram. In April 2016, it was claimed that Maynard was pregnant with Pattinson’s child. The pregnancy was reportedly confirmed when the couple were spotted holding hands in London. However, several months later, it was reported that the couple had called off their engagement. Emily Maynard has a very public love affair with Stephen Fry, with whom she appeared in a music video in December 2015. The two are frequently photographed holding hands and kissing in public.
‘A Bit of a Slut’
The relationship with Williams, a 37-year-old mother of two, is said to be even more serious. While Stewart’s betrayal was dramatic enough, the fact that Pattinson is allegedly still with Williams shows how little he seems to value his former partners’ opinions. And that’s a sentiment that Madonna and Vertis seem to share. In 2014, the Material Girl called Stewart “a bit of a slut… She wanted to have fun.”
Williams has spoken about her desire to have kids, explaining: “I want to have a large family. I want to have lots of kids. I want to be tied down to one person. I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable being alone. I want to have a husband and kids.”
Though Madonna and Vertis both had children with other women, they are allegedly still attracted to each other. The Daily Mail reports that the couple have been spending an increasing amount of time together and that they have become “more and more inseparable.”
‘I’d Be In Jail Now’
A more recent development, which was announced on February 17, has also revived rumors of a reconciliation between Madonna and Pattinson. That day, Vogue UK reported that the 55-year-old singer had hired a criminal lawyer to represent her in her effort to regain custody of her two children, David and Mercy, from music producer Walter Guzzardi.
According to the publication, the legal action is meant to prevent Guzzardi, the father of the children, from removing them from the UK. David, who was 10 when his mother and Guzzardi split up, has been living with his father in Italy since the beginning of 2019.
Madonna and Guzzardi were originally scheduled to appear in court on February 14, but the hearing was postponed until March 6 due to “logistical reasons.” The singer is seeking a court order that would make it easier to regain custody of her children, who currently spend most of their time between London and Italy. Guzzardi, who was convicted of assault in 2003 and sentenced to two years in prison, has adamantly denied all charges.
The UK’s Press Association revealed that in addition to representing Madonna in the custody battle, Dolly Wilde is also representing actress Kate Winslet in her legal dispute with the child’s father, music producer and artist Ned Boneh, with whom Winslet had an affair in 2015. It would later be revealed that Winslet is the biological mother of Boneh’s two children, Noah and Pearl, who were born in 2007 and 2009, respectively. Winslet and Boneh, who have been married since 2012, are fighting for joint custody of the children.