Joe Alwyn has addressed his breakup with his former girlfriend and music collaborator Taylor Swift for the very first time.

The British actor, who dated the "London Boy" singer for six years until their split in 2023, was asked whether or not he had listened to her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, in a new interview with The Sunday Times. The record features several songs that Swift's fans have theorized were written about Alwyn, including the ballad "So Long, London."

"In thinking on what I was going to say, I would think and hope that anyone and everyone can empathize," he told the outlet. "This isn't a direct answer to your question, but just thinking about what I want to talk about. I would hope that anyone and everyone can empathize and understand the difficulties that come with the end of a long, loving, fully committed relationship of over six and a half years. That is a hard thing to navigate."

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He added that having to deal with intense public scrutiny and speculation in the aftermath of their split further complicated matters.

"What is unusual and abnormal in this situation is that, one week later, it's suddenly in the public domain and the outside world is able to weigh in," he said. "So you have something very real suddenly thrown into a very unreal space: tabloids, social media, press, where it is then dissected, speculated on, pulled out of shape beyond recognition. And the truth is, to that last point, there is always going to be a gap between what is known and what is said. I have made my peace with that."

Alwyn added that he and Swift "mutually" decided to "keep the more private details of our relationship private," saying, "It was never something to commodify, and I see no reason to change that now.”

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These days, Alwyn said, "I feel fortunate to be in a really great place in my life, professionally and personally." The Conversations With Friends actor will star in Yorgos Lanthimos' upcoming comedy, Kinds of Kindness, opposite Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Jesse Plemons. The movie hits theaters June 21.

Alwyn refrained from sharing whether or not he is dating anyone or if he remains in contact with Swift. "I'm sure you can appreciate, given the level of noise and scrutiny about my past relationship, why I wouldn't want to just open to the door to things like that right now," he explained.

In addition to their romance, Swift and Alwyn frequently worked together on music. He is credited as a co-writer on Folklore's "Exile" and "Betty"; Evermore's "Champagne Problems," "Coney Island," and "Evermore”; and Midnights' "Sweet Nothing" under the pseudonym William Bowery. He won his first Grammy when Folklore won Album of the Year in 2021.