Tom Hiddleston explains why he wore that 'I love Taylor Swift' vest

'The truth is it was the Fourth of July and a public holiday and we were playing a game,' says actor

Hiddleston dismissed the theories floated by some that their relationship was a mere PR stunt (Getty)

The world was catapulted into confusion after Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston, perhaps the most bizarre celebrity spectacle of last summer, announced their love affair. The widespread bewilderment climaxed after Hiddleston was spotted sporting an “I love TS” tank top on a rocky beach.

At long last, eight months later, the actor has explained the thought process behind the infamous item of clothing. Despite the intense speculation about what could have possibly compelled Hiddleston to wear his love for Swift as a literal badge of honour and the manifold conspiracy theories about whether the burgeoning romance was simply an extravagant music video, the actor has claimed it was all one big joke.

“The truth is, it was the Fourth of July and a public holiday and we were playing a game and I slipped and hurt my back,” the 36-year-old told GQ magazine as part of his March cover story “And I wanted to protect the graze from the sun and said, ‘Does anyone have a T-shirt?’ And one of her friends said, ‘I’ve got this’ … And we all laughed about it. It was a joke.”

Hiddleston, who dated Swift for three months, said he was not a fan of the limelight which comes with being in such a closely scrutinised relationship. He also said he was surprised by how much attention the relationship had received.

“I have to be so psychologically strong about not letting other people’s interpretations about my life affect my life. A relationship exists between two people. We will always know what it was," he said.

“The narratives that are out there altogether have been extrapolated from pictures that were taken without consent or permission, with no context. Nobody had the context for that story.

“And I’m still trying to work out a way of having a personal life and protecting it, but also without hiding. So the hardest thing is that that was a joke among friends on the Fourth of July.”

Hiddleston dismissed the theories floated by some that their relationship was a mere PR stunt, saying: “Of course it was real” and applauding his former partner as an “amazing woman”.

At the time, onlookers questioned the legitimacy of Hiddleston and Swift - better known by their shared moniker of “Hiddleswift” – and speculated about whether their relationship was bound by love or hunger for publicity.