The 'Normal People' actor feels relief for no longer having to hide his relationship with girlfriend after initially hit with anxiety over decision to go public.
- Nov 10, 2022
AceShowbiz - Paul Mescal felt uneasy as his relationship with Phoebe Bridgers was made public. The "Normal People" actor, 26, has been seeing the 28-year-old singer since 2020 after they bonded on an Instagram Live chat during lockdown and following her tweet about feeling "sad and horny" after watching the sex-filled BBC Three series.
"That was the anxiety of like, 'Oh f***, does that mean that we are public property?' And I think it's like, no, that's what couples choose to do. It's just how I choose to operate," he told GQ magazine on Tuesday, November 8 about confirming their relationship in November last year when they made their red carpet debut as a couple at the 2021 LACMA Art + Film Gala.
He added about striking a "happy medium" with having "a public relationship be private, on my terms," "That's satisfying because it just means you're not travelling around under the cover of night, trying to hide your movements from the world. Nor will I ever truly go into depth with anybody about what that relationship means to me or what the inner life of that relationship is."
His comments come after the actor was reported to be set to marry Phoebe. The couple were said to be "officially engaged" in a profile of Paul in The Observer newspaper on Sunday, November 6. It noted Paul and Phoebe "are now engaged" - but the piece has since been updated to read "are reported to be engaged."
Paul also told GQ about their romance, "To have someone to lean on through such a mad, mad time has been invaluable. Really, I don't know where I'd be without her." Phoebe told NME in May she thought Paul was a "cute boy" after becoming a fan of after watching him on "Normal People", adding, "I got a little pitter-patter in my heart when I saw."
The pair were seen gushing over each other on an Instagram Live meeting, with Paul admitting, "I think it's well documented that I love your music," while Phoebe replied, "Well, that makes me blush."
