This week newly-single Zara McDermott hit headlines when she was linked to One Direction superstar Louis Tomlinson – after her split from Sam Thompson late last year.
They seem an unlikely couple, what with Zara’s reality TV roots and Louis being part of one of the biggest boybands of all time.
But on Reddit lots of Louis’s fans have shared theories that they could be together after noticing that they follow each other on Instagram. He only follows 336 accounts and Zara is one of them.
They also point out that Louis’s sisters, including make-up artists Lottie Tomlinson, and twins Daisy and Phoebe, follow Zara too.
So as Zara and Louis spark dating rumours we take a look back at the most unlikely celebrity couples – from Cher and Tom Cruise to Pete Davidson and Kate Beckinsale.
This week newly-single Zara McDermott hit headlines when she was linked to One Direction superstar Louis Tomlinson – after her split from Sam Thompson late last year
Cher and Tom Cruise
Veteran singer Cher was 39 years old when she first crossed paths with up-and-coming actor Tom Cruise in 1985.
The couple are said to have met at Madonna and Sean Penn’s wedding and quickly hit it off – despite their 15 year age gap.
After this, Tom and Che reconnected at a White House event to raise awareness for dyslexia.
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday in 2018, Cher said: ‘A bunch of people who were dyslexic were invited to the White House, and Tom and I are both dyslexic.’
As The Washington Post reported at the time, Cruise was dressed ‘in 1920s-chic gangster suit, hair glooped in grease’, while Cher was ‘draped in black and gray gabardine with a sculpted hairstyle best described as haute punk goddess’.
She added: ‘We didn’t go out till way later, but there definitely was a connection there.’
Actor Tom Cruise and singer Cher pictured at a White House event to raise awareness for dyslexia in 1985
Cher would later describe Tom Cruise as one of her ‘top five’ lovers. The couple pictured backstage after one of Cher’s performances in the noughties
Appearing on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live in 2013, Cher let slip that Tom was one of her favourite lovers.
‘He was in the top five,’ Cher – who has been linked to Val Kilmer, Gene Simmons, Warren Beatty, Eric Clapton, Michael Bolton and Tommy Lee – boldly proclaimed when grilled by the cheeky host.
She added: ‘He wasn’t a Scientologist then. It was pretty hot and heavy for a little minute. He’s a great guy. The person that I knew was a great and lovable guy.’
When they were first romantically linked, Tom had yet to appear in Tom Gun – which turned him into a household name.
Although their romance didn’t last in the long-term, Cher told the Mail that her and Tom – who married actress Mimi Rogers in 1987 – have remained friends.
She added: ‘Though I don’t get what he does, that whole Scientology thing. I can’t understand it so I just… don’t.’
Neil Young and Daryl Hannah
Singer Neil Young confirmed his marriage to actress Daryl Hannah in a post on his official website
Singer Neil Young and actress Daryl Hannah first got together in 2014, before marrying in a private ceremony in Atascadero, California four years later.
The couple were pap-snapped on a date in September 2014, a month after his divorce filing from his wife of 36 years Pegi Young.
Around that time, a People source gossiped that Neil and Daryl had in fact ‘been dating for months’ before he filed for divorce from Pegi.
Years later, Pegi told Rolling Stone of her split from Neil: ‘We were having a rough patch. But I never would’ve thought in a million years we would be getting divorced. So, yeah, there was a bit of a shock value there.’
There was a swirl of reports in 2018 that Neil and Daryl had married, and he then referred to ‘My wife Daryl’ in a pro-gun control Instagram post in October of that year.
The post also included a video featuring a live version of the 1970 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song Ohio.
Sinitta and Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt and Sinitta pictured in 1988. The singer claimed she was ‘too wild’ for Brad and said the distance between them caused their split
Singer Sinitta was at the height of her fame when she hooked up with a little known actor named Brad Pitt in the late 1980s.
The pair dated for two years but shy and retiring Pitt found it difficult to keep up with his party-loving girlfriend and the relationship fell apart.
In a previous interview with Maxim magazine, Sinitta said: ‘I think I was too wild for him!
‘I was really young and at the peak of my career and I didn’t want to sit and be romantic and eat dinner at home.’
Sinitta has also blamed their careers as the reason for their split in 1988, as Brad lived in Los Angeles while Sinitta toured.
Speaking to OK magazine she explained: ‘It was a long-distance thing for too long. He was based in LA and had to be there for auditions and filming, whereas I was always off on tour.
‘And I need my men to be around and be with me. We didn’t have the internet or WhatsApp back in the late 80s, all we had in those days was a fax or a phone or an answer machine.
‘There wasn’t a lot of contact if you were in different countries and I found that difficult.’
She admitted to sending him pages upon pages of faxes, saying: ‘I used to spend a fortune telephoning him from hotels and sending 40-page faxes in the middle of the night.
‘But boys aren’t that good at communicating back, so I’d send these 40 pages and he’d come back with maybe a one-word answer.’
However, the former couple have remained friends and Brad even texted even sent her a congratulatory text when she adopted two children in 2008.
Liv Tyler and Joaquin Phoenix
Liv Tyler and her ex Joaquin Phoenix pictured at the Good Will Hunting premiere in 1998. She later described the actor as her ‘first love’
They’re two hugely successful actors in their own right – but a lot of movie buffs might not realise that Liv Tyler and Joaquin Phoenix were once a celebrity power couple to be reckoned with.
The former couple met in the mid 1990s on the set of Inventing the Abbotts/ when they were both teenagers.
Speaking to The Morning Call in 1997, Liv said: ‘I fell in love with Joaquin the second I saw him.’
She added: ‘I didn’t feel threatened or afraid of the idea to get involved with him when we were working.
‘I just kind of knew and hoped and prayed that I would love him forever.’
Meanwhile, Joaquin said he was ‘moved’ by his co-star’s honesty and added: ‘What I felt about her was that I have a new friend, a really great friend.’
Although the couple didn’t work out in the long-term, Liv later told Elle that she considers Joaquin and his sisters as her family.
She added: ‘We were so young when we were together, like 18 to 21. He was my first love. So he’s a huge part of even my sense of humor.’
Nicole Kidman and Lenny Kravitz
Nicole Kidman and Lenny Kravitz pictured together in New York in 2002. The actress later revealed they were engaged for a time
Following her high-profile split from Tom Cruise in 2001, Nicole Kidman had an unlikely romance with rock star Lenny Kravitz.
Despite trying to keep their relationship out of the spotlight, the couple – who reportedly dated for a year – were often spotted pounding the pavements of New York together.
In a 2007 interview with Vanity Fair, Nicole hinted that her and Lenny were even engaged for a time – but it sadly didn’t work out.
She said: ‘It just wasn’t right. I wasn’t ready. We weren’t ready … I get engaged and I get married — that’s my thing.
‘I don’t want to date. I’m interested in a very, very deep connection.’
Lenny Kravitz and actress Nicole Kidman pose in the green room during the Hollywood Film Awards in West Hollywood in 2016
Nicole pictured with Lenny’s daughter Zoe in January 2020 – who also appeared in the hit drama Big Little Lies
Despite their split, Lenny and Nicole have remained friendly – and often stop and speak to one another on red carpets.
During the press tour for Big Little Lies – which also starred Lenny’s daughter Zoe – Nicole confirmed that she’d almost become Mrs Kravitz.
She said: ‘I knew Zoë because I was engaged to her father. It’s all in the family! I love Lenny; he’s a great guy.’
What’s more, Lenny only has got things to say about his ex-fiancé too.
He told Mr Porter in 2017: ‘Nicole is amazing. Zoë and she hadn’t spent time together since she was younger, since Nicole and I were together, so that was great.’
While Nicole went on to marry country singer Keith Urban, Lenny is reportedly dating model Ana Paula Valle.
Janet Jackson and Matthew McConaughey
Janet Jackson and Matthew McConaughey pictured together on a red carpet in 2002 when they were rumoured to be dating
The couple pictured together at the 2002 Grammys – where they presented an award together on stage
In the early noughties, Matthew McConaughey was one of Hollywood’s most in-demand leading men thanks to his roles in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Failure to Launch.
At the height of his rom-com fame, the actor – now 55 – was linked to singer Janet Jackson.
The couple are said to have met at the 2002 Grammys when they presented an award together and it was rumoured that they were dating at the time.
However, Janet didn’t confirm this until 2006, where she admitted that they went out – but insisted it was ‘just for a minute’.
Matthew also confirmed it in 2019 on Watch What Happened Live, confessing they had gone on a dinner date and ‘that was sorta it’.
Kerry Katona and Lucien Laviscount
The actor, 32, and the former Atomic Kitten star, 44, took part in Celebrity Big Brother back in 2011 and quickly struck up a romance
Fans of Emily in Paris were shocked to learn that Lucien Laviscount previously dated Kerry Katona when he was 19 and she was 31.
The actor, 32, and the former Atomic Kitten star, 44, took part in Celebrity Big Brother back in 2011 and quickly struck up a romance.
Lucien, who plays Alfie on the hit Netflix show, was best known at the time for appearances on Coronation Street and Waterloo Road.
His success on the series, which stars Lily Collins in the lead role, has seen him tipped for more high-profile roles including replacing Daniel Craig as James Bond.
The pair were seen getting cosy in the house and even kissed on camera before posing for the front cover of OK! magazine when they left the house.
The pair were seen getting cosy in the house and even kissed on camera before posing for the front cover of OK! magazine when they left the house
Several fans of the actor took to social media to react to the discovery he was previously in a relationship with Kerry
On their loved-up OK! magazine shoot, Kerry and Lucien declared: ‘We hope we’ll be together forever’.
In their candid interview, Kerry wasn’t shy about revealing the spark between the pair, saying: ‘There was a lot of sexual tension, definitely.
‘If the cameras hadn’t been there, God knows what would have happened.’
Lucien said he had a ‘thing’ for older women and insisted: ‘She’s not too old for me.’
The pair’s fling didn’t last long however and they both moved on, with Lucien then being linked to Jesy Nelson after they were seen getting cosy on a night out.
Pete Davidson and Kate Beckinsale
Kate Beckinsale and Pete Davidson pictured together in 2020 watching an ice hockey match in New York
The couple confirmed reports of a romance by sharing a passionate kiss in their seats in the stadium
He’s dated everyone from Ariana Grande to Kim Kardashian – but in March 2019, comedian Pete Davidson set tongues wagging when he went public with his romance with Kate Beckinsale.
The couple – who had a 20-year-age gap – confirmed they were dating by passionately kissing in the stands at hockey game in New York.
The pair were also seen holding hands and laughing with each other during the game, and at one point Pete rose to his feet and triumphantly threw up his arms.
Unfortunately for the couple, their relationship wasn’t meant to last and they called it quits the following month.
In an interview with Charlamagne Tha God in February 2020, Pete gushed: ‘[ate is] one of the funniest people I’ve ever met.’
‘All of my uncles freaked out,’ the comedian said of how his family first reacted when he started dating the actress.
He told Charlamagne that the timing was bad for the two of them, as he joked: ‘I think I was going into another rehab. I must have a pattern.’
Of the split with Kate he said: ‘I wasn’t right yet, and [Kate] had a lot of acting and work to do. She’s a superstar.’
Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet
Kylie and Timothée have been an item for almost two years
Kylie and Timothée have been an item for almost two years.
Rumours of their romance first swirled in April 2023 when her car was parked outside his Beverly Hills home.
The eventually made their first public appearance at Beyoncé’s star-studded birthday concert in September 2023, where videos circulated of them cuddling and kissing in full view of concertgoers.
The couple made their award season debut at the 81st Golden Globes last January.
She accompanied him to the Oscars this year where he was snubbed in the Best Actor category.