Flirty texts to arguments — secret agony behind Harry Styles & Olivia Wilde’s relationship revealed
WHEN snaps of Harry Styles getting close to Olivia Wilde came to light this month, the duo instantly became one of the hottest A-list pairings on the planet.
The former One Direction hunk’s legion of admirers erupted in excitement, while fashionistas declared the couple a perfect match, thanks to their striking looks and arty credentials.
But behind the scenes, a complex love triangle which wouldn’t have looked out of place on The Jeremy Kyle Show was quietly brewing — as tensions between actress and director Olivia and her former partner, fellow Hollywood star Jason Sudeikis, began to emerge.
Sources close to him raced to tell a different story, with allegations of “crossover” between her relationships.
It now threatens to spark an embarrassing public fallout, and an increasingly desperate round of “he-said, she-said” between Olivia and Jason, who have two children after their nine-year romance.
As one said: “This looked very Hollywood at first, but it’s a bit of a mess and what actually went on looks very different, depending who you ask.”
It is understood that Olivia told Harry she was already single when they met, and those close to the situation say he is blameless, despite the controversy around the new couple.
And following whispers of flirty text messages and behind-the-scenes arguments, heart-broken Jason remains determined to win Olivia back, despite insiders painting an increasingly chaotic picture of their life away from the film set where her fling with Harry was first sparked.
While the 36-year-old actress has always maintained she and Jason split early last year, those close to him say they were very much “still a couple” as recently as November — a month after he first became suspicious that she had grown close to Harry, 26.
The Sun told earlier this week how his fears appeared to be confirmed when he realised his long-term fiancée was exchanging flirty texts with Harry — the leading man in the new film she is directing, Don’t Worry Darling.
And now TV footage unearthed by US showbiz network Entertainment Tonight shows Jason just days before their split was announced — gushing about Olivia, with no hint of a break-up, despite her continued insistence they were long over.
In the clip from November 12, just a day before their split was announced, he appeared to confirm they were still living at home together as he explained that Olivia was “in the next room” editing scenes filmed for the movie — in which Harry stars with Florence Pugh and Chris Pine.
He told host Nischelle Turner: “She is editing stuff they have already shot. They are fun to hear, her in the other room, just laughing and talking. She just works her butt off.”
Even so, just a fortnight later, in a possible hint at a new chapter in her love life, Olivia posed on Instagram in a T-shirt with the slogan “The Future Is Female Ejaculation”.
But insiders say Jason, who is now in the UK with their two children while working on a new TV project, is still desperately hoping to salvage the relationship, despite Olivia’s fling.
A friend said: “He’s just shell-shocked. As far as he is concerned they were still together, but obviously she is telling a very different story, which he doesn’t understand.
“He’s heartbroken, but despite everything, he would love to save their relationship and stay together.
“He hopes it’s a temporary bump in the road rather than the end.
“Obviously, like lots of couples, there have been rocky patches at times but he believed that’s all they were and he still thinks they could have a great future. He clearly still loves her and they still talk all the time.”
Another source added: “At the moment he’s just upset and hopes things will work out. But the fear is that the longer this goes on, the more it is likely to come between them.
"He’s hurt at the thought she might have been seeing Harry while he thinks they were still together, and obviously feels even more hurt that it has now come out so publicly.
“But he’s not vindictive, he’s very mild-mannered, and wants things to stay calm for the children, too.
“He has been on the phone to friends in floods of tears, saying he just wants everything to be back to normal, but many also warn him not to look too much of a pushover.
“Of course he has said the same to Olivia too, but at the moment she is totally infatuated with Harry and isn’t for turning.
“But it’s only days between the two of them. Who knows what will happen once they finish filming together and the world returns to normal?” Even so, film insiders say Olivia’s infatuation with Harry was a major factor in her efforts to cast him.
A US source said: “She has always liked Harry, and it was one of the reasons she cast him. Since then, she has developed a thing for him.”
Harry and Olivia first appeared as a couple on January 4, when they were seen together at the Californian wedding of his manager Jeff Azoff, where Harry officiated at the ceremony.
The snaps seemed to show two stars in love, but shortly afterwards pictures of Olivia warmly hugging Jason emerged — along with growing talk of his shock at her loved-up display with Harry, which appeared to surprise Jason as much as fans.
Olivia, who hit the big time starring in , started dating fellow American Jason in 2011 after the end of her marriage to an Italian aristocrat.
They got engaged in 2013 and had two kids before announcing their separation last November.
In September it was announced that Harry had been cast in Olivia’s new film, a psychological thriller. Shooting began the next month.
And sources say they grew close on set quickly and “organically” — with snaps later showing him visiting her trailer, despite their efforts to “keep things very professional”.
They have reportedly also spent time together at James Corden’s home in Palm Springs.
Harry’s exes include Taylor Swift and reality TV star Kendall Jenner, and he has developed a reputation for being fond of older women.
After casting Harry, Olivia praised his lack of “toxic masculinity” and bravery for wearing a dress in a recent Vogue magazine photoshoot.
Some celeb watchers claim she is now wearing a necklace to match Harry’s, and although it doesn’t look identical, Vogue magazine says it is the same style and brand.
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Olivia gushed: “To me, he’s very modern and I hope that this brand of confidence as a male that Harry has — truly devoid of any traces of toxic masculinity — is indicative of his generation and therefore the future of the world.
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“I think he is in many ways championing that, spearheading that.
“It’s pretty powerful and kind of extraordinary to see someone in his position redefining what it can mean to be a man with confidence.”