Sometimes the most compelling celebrity stories are not feuds between enemies — they are the quiet, tangled webs of love, friendship, co-stars, and exes that connect Hollywood’s biggest stars in ways nobody expected. Right at the center of one of 2024 into 2026’s most fascinating relationship webs sit two names: Dua Lipa and Austin Butler. They have never publicly dated each other — but the story connecting them is far more interesting than that. Here is the full untold story.
The Show That Started Everything — Masters of the Air
To understand how Dua Lipa and Austin Butler ended up in the same orbit, you have to start with one Apple TV+ miniseries. Austin Butler starred alongside Callum Turner and Barry Keoghan in the 2024 Apple TV+ miniseries Masters of the Air. The show brought together a generation of Hollywood’s hottest young actors under one roof — and the chemistry both on and off set would ripple far beyond the screen.
Before they could become masters of the air, Callum Turner and Austin Butler were busy mastering getting in and out of a cockpit. As Turner told ET, they were put through rigorous preparation for the project — experts were hired to teach them how to take off, how to land, and they were quizzed at any given moment on technical details. “There was a competitive nature to us, so no one wanted to be the one who didn’t know,” Turner explained. What started as professional rivalry became a close co-star bond — and that bond would soon collide with pop royalty.
The Masters of the Air Premiere That Changed Everything for Dua Lipa
The Masters of the Air premiere afterparty in London in early 2024 is where Dua Lipa’s love story truly began. Dua Lipa and Callum Turner were first seen attending the premiere after-party for his new Apple TV+ series Masters of the Air in January 2024.
The meet-cute was straight out of a rom-com. Callum later revealed to The Sunday Times that they began talking after they discovered they were reading the same book — Trust by Hernán Díaz. “We sat next to each other and realized we were reading the same book, which is crazy,” he said. “She looked at me and said, ‘I just finished the first chapter, too.'” He replied: “So we’re on the same page.” It was the kind of opening line that belongs in a movie — which is fitting, given that his co-star Austin Butler essentially brought them into the same room.
Austin Butler — Hollywood’s Most Intriguing Bachelor
While his Masters of the Air co-star Callum Turner was falling in love at the premiere afterparty, Austin Butler was navigating his own very public relationship story. Austin Butler is a long-term partner by nature, with his history defined by two very significant chapters.
His longest relationship was with Vanessa Hudgens — together for nearly nine years, she was a major supporter of his career during his early years and the start of his Elvis journey. They split in 2020 due to the strain of long distance and demanding work schedules. After Vanessa, Austin and model Kaia Gerber dated for three years, becoming a staple on major red carpets. But by early 2025, that chapter was closing too. After keeping their romance low-key for several years, fans were shocked when rumours first surfaced that the pair may have called it quits. Sources speaking to People in January 2025 seemingly confirmed rumours that Kaia had moved on with actor Lewis Pullman.
Just like that, one of Hollywood’s most beloved couples was over — and Austin Butler, fresh off the success of Elvis and Caught Stealing, was suddenly single and very much the subject of intense public curiosity.
The Emily Ratajkowski Rumor — And How It Connected Back to Dua
Here is where the web gets genuinely fascinating. In late 2025, photos of Austin sharing an intimate dinner with model Emily Ratajkowski in New York’s West Village went viral. The internet immediately went into overdrive. Were they dating? Was this Hollywood’s next great couple?
Austin shut it down himself. He directly addressed these rumors in a profile with Vanity Fair in November 2025, explaining that just because he grabs drinks or dinner with a friend, it doesn’t mean it’s a love story. He emphasized that they are just friends and admitted that the public scrutiny made him “just want to hide.”
But the Ratajkowski connection loops right back to Dua Lipa in the most unexpected way. Emily Ratajkowski went on to be romantically linked to director Romain Gavras — who had previously dated Dua Lipa. Ratajkowski hard-launched their relationship in a February 2026 Instagram post, with Gavras having been last romantically linked to Dua Lipa, who is now engaged to Callum Turner. So within this one friendship circle: Austin had dinner with Emily, Emily is now with Dua’s ex, and Dua is engaged to Austin’s co-star. Hollywood truly is the world’s smallest town.
Dua Lipa & Callum Turner — The Love Story Everyone is Rooting For
While Austin Butler navigates single life in 2026, Dua Lipa’s love story is firmly in its happiest chapter. After soft-launching their engagement on New Year’s Eve in 2024, Dua confirmed the news in a June 2025 interview with British Vogue, saying: “Yeah, we’re engaged.”
Callum Turner himself designed Dua’s custom engagement ring with help from her friends and her sister. And when it comes to the long distance — Dua on a world tour, Callum on film sets — they make it work in the most devoted way. Callum revealed that he once flew to Boston for only two days just to see her, and even though it left him exhausted, it was worth every second.
Dua described the feeling of their engagement simply: “This decision to grow old together, to see a life and just, I don’t know, be best friends forever — it’s a really special feeling.”
Austin Butler in 2026 — Quietly Rebuilding, Focused on the Craft
As Dua plans a wedding and Callum potentially takes on the role of the next James Bond, betting sites listed Turner as the “red-hot” favorite for the iconic spy role, with a source claiming his casting had been confirmed — “He’s been blabbing all over town. It’s the worst-kept secret going,” Austin Butler is doing what he has always done best — focusing on the work.
As Austin continues to work on high-profile projects throughout 2026, he seems focused on his craft. While he is currently publicly single, his recent sightings suggest he is slowly re-entering the dating scene on his own terms. In recent interviews, Austin has hinted that he does think about being a husband and a father one day, noting that he wants to be the best partner possible when the right person comes along.
Final Thoughts — One Show, Two Very Different Love Stories
What makes the Dua Lipa and Austin Butler story so compelling is precisely that it is not a feud or a scandal — it is a beautifully messy, human portrait of how fame, friendship, co-stars and coincidence collide. One Apple TV+ premiere afterparty gave Callum Turner the love of his life. It left Austin Butler’s co-star in the middle of Hollywood’s most talked-about relationship web. And somewhere in between, Dua Lipa went from a quiet dinner to a custom engagement ring — all while her ex started dating the woman Austin Butler was rumored to be seeing.
You honestly could not write it better.
Who do you think is Hollywood’s most interesting love story right now — Dua and Callum, or are you rooting for Austin to find his person? Comment below!
