‘I’m lucky’: Tom Holland pays sweet tribute to girlfriend Zendaya

The pair met in 2016 starring opposite each other as Peter Parker and MJ in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’

Tom Holland has praised his girlfriend Zendaya and explained why he is “lucky” to have her in his life.

In the latest instalment of the Smartless podcast hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, the Spider-Man actor, 27, explained why he and Zendaya, 26, are so compatible.

“I’m lucky that I have someone like Zendaya in my life," Holland said. "It’s interesting being in a romantic relationship with someone that is in the same boat as you.”

He continued: “You can share your experiences and all that sort of stuff – and that’s worth its weight in gold.”

Holland has been keen to give fans an inside glimpse into his relationship with Zendaya, who he has been dating since July 2021, sharing sweet anecdotes about his girlfriend in various interviews.

Speaking to Unilad, the Spider-Man star shared how his secret passion for carpentry impressed the Euphoria actor and producer in the early days of their relationship. "Carpentry is something I just really enjoy,” he said in Unilad’s “Get A Job!” video series.

“I fixed my girlfriend’s door once really early on in our relationship,” Holland continued. “I was hanging out at her house and her door was broken. I was like, ‘I’m gonna fix that door for you.’”

He added: “And now, we’re in love.”

Tom Holland and Zendaya together after making their relationship public in 2021 (Getty Images for SiriusXM)

In an interview for Buzzfeed Celeb last month, the British actor confessed that he has “no rizz” – a phrase used to describe a person’s charisma and ability to attract other people.

“I have no rizz whatsoever, I have limited rizz. My brother Paddy has ultimate rizz,” Holland joked.

Instead, he said his way of flirting is by developing a connection with the person beforehand.

“I need you to fall in love with me, really, for it to work,” Holland explained. He was, however, able to develop “rizz” when he starred opposite Zendaya in Spider-Man: Homecoming, who played Peter Parker’s love interest Michelle “MJ” Jones.

“[It] definitely helps when the characters you’re playing are falling in love with one another. You can sort of blur the lines a little bit,” he continued. “That’s kind of where my rizz is at.”

The pair first met while playing Peter and MJ in the 2017 Marvel film. The two first sparked rumours that they were dating that year, and in July 2021, American celebrity gossip site Page Six published photos of the pair kissing in a car.

Celebrating Zendaya’s birthday in September 2021, Holland posted on social media, making the couple “Instagram official”.

“My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays,” he captioned a photo taken in a dressing room, which showed Holland in his Spider-Man costume as Zendaya in the mirror. “Gimme a call when your up xxx.”

In December of that year, they made their red carpet debut together for the Hollywood premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Zendaya, full name Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman, is an American singer and actor best known for playing Rue Bennett in HBO’s hit teen series Euphoria. Holland, who is British, has played Spider-Man/Peter Parker six times in various Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films.