Is Kristen Stewart really a lesbian after all? In the latest episode of ‘The Runaways’, the actress admitted to having sex with her ‘Wild’ co-star Robert Pattinson on-camera, confessing she is “completely and utterly in love” with the Scottish actor. While it was clear that Stewart was attracted to Pattinson, the admission that they had slept together came as a shock to many fans who were expecting the unlikely duo to remain platonic.
But after months of rumors that the couple were actually more than just friends, it seems that their on-screen chemistry was no accident, and that Stewart was intentionally trying to tempt Pattinson into a sexual relationship. According to sources, Pattinson confessed to having feelings for Stewart, but was too shy to act on them. So instead, the actor decided to stay loyal to his girlfriend, Ruby Rose, who he began dating last year, and hide his true feelings. (Rose also plays a starring role in The Runaways.)
However, now that the tables have turned and Stewart finds herself at the mercy of the media, we can expect to hear a lot more about their alleged affair. In the meantime, here’s a look back at some of the most significant moments from the last year of Kristen Stewart’s life.
January 2016: The Beginning of the End
After enjoying a year of relative privacy following the revelations concerning her highly public split from Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart began 2016 as she had begun 2015 – on the receiving end of gossip and speculation. Just days after Christmas, Stewart was photographed leaving her Los Angeles home wearing a sheer black gown, drawing countless headlines and inspiring countless memes. While the photos were taken to mark Stewart’s 24th birthday, the actress has since then, rarely been seen in public without an escort – let alone a love interest.
February 2016: A Year of Love And Loyalty
After a difficult 2015, which saw Stewart miss several red carpet events due to the paparazzi circling her house day and night, the media onslaught that greeted her in early 2016 was even more intense. In February, while accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Excellence in Motion Pictures at the 66th annual Golden Globe Awards, Stewart gave a heartfelt speech, thanking her “loyal and incredible friends” and expressing her desire to remain “best friends forever”. It was a public display of affection for Rose that seemed to surprise even the notoriously private Stewart.
March 2016: The Beginning of a New Era
In March 2016, Kristen Stewart made her Broadway debut in the role of Daisy Buchanan in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, a role that was inspired by the Duchess of Windsor. Just a few days later, Stewart was seen embracing her costar Andrew Garfield after the play’s closing night performance. In the audience that evening were none other than Robert Pattinson and Katy Perry, both of whom the actress had previously worked with. It was a heart-felt show of support for her friend and co-star, as well as a public display of their affection for one another. Just two days after that, news broke that Stewart and Perry were joined at the altar by mutual friends Luis Fonsi and Becky Lynch for a “beautiful and emotional” wedding ceremony in Ibiza.
April 2016: An Intimate Evening With Madonna
It was another very public display of affection when Stewart and Madonna shared a tender moment on the set of ‘Madonna: Tears of a Clown’ on April 19, 2016. After filming her cameo, the pop singer and actress sat down for an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, during which Madonna explained that the scene in question was “one of the most intimate in the movie” and that it was “really just us”. The following day, a behind-the-scenes photo of the two sharing a tender kiss was posted on Madonna’s Instagram, further confirming that the scene was indeed meant to be seen as a loving one.
May 2016: A Year of Secrets
Just as 2015 had begun with rumors surrounding Stewart’s relationship with Robert Pattinson, so too did 2016. In May 2016, several outlets published articles suggesting that the actress was enjoying an intimate and luxurious lifestyle with her co-star. While there was no denying Stewart and Pattinson’s undeniable chemistry on-screen, as well as the fact that they had been photographed on numerous occasions leaving clubs hand-in-hand, these rumors were far from confirmed. (In the months that followed, the actress and her ‘Wild’ co-star would go on to deny these rumors, explaining that their relationship was purely platonic and that they were just good friends.)
June 2016: New York Times Bestselling Author Comes Out Of Hiding
While Kristen Stewart spent much of 2015 in hiding, emerging only for red carpet events and to promote her films, in June 2016, bestselling author Cecilia Chica finally gave in to the public’s growing curiosity and released her own memoir. Titled “Dangerous to Dream”, the book detailed the author’s very public split from husband of 25 years, Andy Cohen, as well as her tumultuous relationship with Rob Pattinson. According to an article in The New York Times, Chica had initially been reluctant to share her story, only doing so after her publisher, St. Martin’s Press, threatened to sue her for non-disclosure if she didn’t. (Chica’s lawyer told the publication that they had reached a confidential settlement concerning the lawsuit, and that it was “stupid” to sue over a memoir.)
July 2016: An Intimate Evening With Jennifer Aniston
It was another intimate moment between Stewart and Aniston when the actress and her ‘Superior’ costar sat down for an interview on July 14, 2016. After chatting about the challenges of playing a female superhero and Aniston’s desire for a dog or cat companion, the interviewer turned to more personal questions, asking Stewart about her romantic interests. Quickly realising that the interview was a set-up and that the question was actually a trap, Stewart admitted that although she had a lot of male admirers, she had never actually felt the need to date anyone. “I mean… I’ve been in a lot of relationships but at this point in my life, I just really want to focus on my career and focus on being with people I love,” she said. “I’ve never felt the need to be in a relationship with someone I didn’t love. I guess I’m just really happy and lucky that I’ve never felt the need to seek that out.”
August 2016: The Beginning of a Romance
On August 4, 2016, Hollywood news outlets reported that Robert Pattinson had started seeing actor and comedian Tom Hardy, following a whirlwind romance that began when the two stars met on the set of ‘The Revenant’. While the reported whirlwind romance initially appeared to be just that – an act of fiction designed to promote a film – it was soon confirmed to be true when Hardy appeared in a video blog, confirming his engagement to the actor. (The video, posted to Hardy’s Instagram account, showed the pair kissing and revealed that they were happy to “make [their] relationship official”.)
September 2016: The End Of An Era
Finally, the most significant moment from the last year of Kristen Stewart’s life arrived in September 2016, when her mother, Daphne, died after a long illness. Dressed in a long-sleeved black dress with white trim, Stewart attended her mother’s funeral in a candlelit room flanked by family and friends as she gave a eulogy. While Stewart’s speech was heart-felt and powerful, it was also a goodbye to a daughter who had finally found the happiness that had long eluded her. (The following day, Stewart was further accompanied by several of her A-list friends as she paid her respects at River Stewart’s grave, further underlining the significance of the occasion.)
October 2016: A Year Later
One year later, Kristen Stewart is still without a doubt the biggest media event of the year. While she has continued to emerge from her self-imposed year of seclusion for red carpet events, an on-screen romance with a leading man, and social media avatars, many of her old interests have gone unharvested. The actress has made no secret of the fact that she is not only single, but actively looking for a relationship, and is far from hiding in her mother’s shadow. (Stewart has gone on to date several times since her mother’s death, including a relationship with French journalist Florent Marcellesi, which lasted for several months before the two called off their engagement.)