TAYLOR SWIFT’s army of loyal fans love nothing more than poring over the trail of cryptic clues she leaves in every lyric and Instagram post.
But her shock split from Joe Alwyn after six years has blindsided even the most expert Swiftie sleuth, leaving millions of devastated supporters desperate to find out what went wrong.
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It emerged over the weekend that Taylor, 33, and the British actor, 32, split “a few weeks ago”, with a source telling The Sun the relationship “ran its course”.
They added: “Naturally these things are difficult for those involved and it has not been easy.
“They are respecting one another’s privacy and in time think they could be good friends.”
Since the couple, who were rumoured to be engaged, began dating in 2016, they have kept famously tight-lipped about their relationship — with fans searching for clues about Joe in Taylor’s clever lyrics.
Such is the power of the star, who has 254million Instagram followers, it has even led to a “SwiftTok” movement where eager supporters search for “Easter Eggs” — hidden messages in her art.
Following reports of their break-up on Saturday, Swift detectives have naturally flooded social media with a series of new clues that the love story had turned sour.
Since Taylor began her Eras tour in March, Joe has not been seen supporting his partner in the crowds and the couple have not been pictured publicly together since October last year.
In his absence, fans have pointed to the singer’s subtle setlist changes, an on-stage breakdown and even a far-fetched music video theory as proof that the seemingly fairytale romance was already on the rocks.
Trail of breadcrumbs
On March 31, Taylor switched up her set in Texas, replacing Invisible String, a track about the connection between lovers, with The 1 — widely seen as a break-up song.
One fan’s message on Twitter read: “Swapping ‘Invisible String’ for ‘The 1’ Taylor Swift at #TheErasTour was telling us something.”
Another wrote: “Taylor Swift switching out Invisible String for The 1 on the eras tour . . . the ultimate Easter egg.”
During a performance in Glendale, Arizona, she noticeably broke down as she sang Champagne Problems, another setlist change and ode to a failed marriage proposal.
Written with Joe, the lyrics state: “‘She would’ve made such a lovely bride, what a shame she’s f***ed in the head’, they said, but you’ll find the real thing instead, she’ll patch up your tapestry that I shred.”
One Swiftie mused: “Will Joe and Taylor break up because Joe really wanted to marry her and Taylor didn’t?”
Eagle-eyed fans have also noted she has begun featuring two break-up tracks, White Horse and Sad Beautiful Tragic, as surprise inclusions in recent performances.
Her choice to open the show with Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince has also been floated as a possible nod to her recent heartache.
The chorus goes: “And I don’t want you to go I don’t really wanna fight ’cause nobody’s gonna win, I think you should come home.”
In perhaps the wildest theory yet, dedicated followers think Taylor even hinted at the date of her own break-up in the music video for Lavender Haze, striking a match 48 seconds into the promo to supposedly signify 4/8 — April 8.
Entertainment Tonight broke the story of their split on April 8 — leading one Swiftie to declare, “She gave us an Easter egg for the date of her own break-up.”
The outpouring of social media sleuthing will come as no surprise to Taylor, who has always loved leaving her fans a trail of breadcrumbs in her music.
“I’ve trained them to be that way,” she said in 2019.
“I love that they like the cryptic hint-dropping. Because as long as they like it, I’ll keep doing it.
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“It’s fun. It feels mischievous and playful.”
And Swifties already have a decade of experience when it comes to cracking her codes and hints about Joe.
Their secret relationship was revealed in The Sun in May 2017, a year after they met at the Met Gala, the annual A-list fashion event in New York City.
The couple were extremely tight-lipped about their romance during its duration — even refusing to confirm or deny engagement rumours.
“If I had a pound for every time I think I’ve been told I’ve been engaged, then I’d have a lot of pound coins,” said Joe last year.
“I mean, the truth is, if the answer was yes, I wouldn’t say, and if the answer was no, I wouldn’t say.”
When the Conversations With Friends star helped write songs on her albums Folklore and Evermore, the couple opted to use a pseudonym for him, William Bowery.
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Fans quickly deduced it was Joe as William is his grandfather’s name, while Bowery alludes to the area of New York where he spent a lot of time when he was in the US.
Both albums feature a number of songs about their romance, with the singer confirming Lavender Haze is about the beginning of their relationship.
Fans deduced that the lyrics “I’ve been under scrutiny, you handle it beautifully,” were about her boyfriend before she confirmed it later in an interview.
The most overt song Taylor wrote about her romance with Joe is London Boy — which gives details about their time together in the UK.
Since 2021, it is believed they have been renting a £7million townhouse in Primrose Hill, London after dividing their time between Joe’s parents’ house in Highgate and his flat in Crouch End.
In the lyrics she sings about visiting Camden market and going to Highgate to meet “all his best mates”.
She also references the West End theatres and watching rugby in a pub with all of his friends.
Taylor returns to the US for her show in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday and fans had speculated she would be spending Easter weekend with Joe — before news of their split broke.
The actor is thought to be in London spending time with family as he is back in the UK after filming his latest movie And, which is set in New Orleans, Louisiana.
But it seems despite breaking up with her London boy, Taylor’s love affair with the UK is far from over.
Last week, she was spotted filming her latest music video in Liverpool at St George’s Hall and the Cunard Building during a short break in her Eras tour.
A source revealed: “Taylor loves the history of the landmarks and was excited to film somewhere completely different and unexpected.
“She had a break in her touring schedule so decided to use the time to get another video in the bag.
“She’s feeling more creative and inspired than ever.”
Whatever the next chapter of her rollercoaster love life may hold, her loyal detectives will be hot on the case.
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