A timeline of Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson's relationship

Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson are one of those cool, lowkey celebrity couples that you sometimes forget are dating. But they are. And we're obsessed with them.

Here's a look back at their relationship timeline, from when they started dating in 2017, to why they like to keep their romance so private, starting with the most recent update.

7th July 2022 - Chris opens up about the sweet way Dakota has improved his gigs

We love seeing Chris and Dakota supporting each other, and there's another sweet story to take in thanks to Chris' latest anecdote. The Coldplay singer opened up about girlfriend Dakota in a new interview with CBS, telling the morning show about the thoughtful way the actress has worked to improve his live gigs.

Chris revealed that Dakota has helped to change the experience of hearing-impaired audience members at Coldplay concerts, gifting Chris a SUBPAC - a vest which enables the person wearing it to feel the vibrations of sound.

The frontman went on to explain that he'd since decided to hand out SUBPACs to hearing-impaired audience members at Coldplay concerts. He told the chat show, "My partner, she said, 'I got you a Christmas present of a SUBPAC.'"

"She said it's like what Finneas [O'Connell, Billie Eilish's brother] wears onstage when he's with Billie, and it vibrates, so it's useful for someone like Finneas to hear where the one is on the bass drum," Chris continued.

Dakota and Chris getting involved in each other's work = all the wholesome vibes.

Check out their relationship timeline below.

10 October 2017: Rumours that these two are dating start swirling when Chris (who was previously rumoured to be dating Jennifer Lawrence following his 'conscious uncoupling' from Gwyneth Paltrow) and Dakota (who previously dated The Drowners singer Matthew Hitt) are spotted eating sushi in Los Angeles. A source tells People the pair are "cozy, laughing and affectionate". Cute!

15 November 2017: Well, well, well, what do you know? Dakota (28 at the time) reportedly flies to Argentina to watch Chris, 40, perform with Coldplay. A 50 Shades Of Grey fan site shares a picture on Twitter of Dakota very much looking like a VIP in the sound booth of the Buenos Aires arena.

13 December 2017: Another source tells Entertainment Tonight that Dakota and Chris have been dating for around two months, which fits with the timings of their reported sushi date in October. "They spend most nights hanging out at his house and laying low," the source says. "His friends already love her and see how happy she makes him."

19 December 2017: MailOnline publishes pictures showing Dakota and Chris at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris together. Though they appear to have arrived in the same car, they exit the vehicle separately (presumably to try and stop the press writing headlines suggesting they've confirmed their romance - oh, wait).

16 January 2018: Though nothing is still confirmed at this point, Dakota and Chris are pictured arm in arm walking on a beach in Malibu, California. A source tells E! News they spent two days at the beach along with Dakota's dog and the actress had "her head on his shoulder and was leaning into him. They stopped to gaze out at the water and look for dolphins". While there's a chance this source might not be a mindreader, the premise is very romantic.

23 January 2018: Don Johnson stumbles into embarrassing Dad territory when he tells Digital Spy at the National Television Awards (NTAs) the rumoured relationship between his daughter Dakota and Chris is "troubling".

We're pretty sure he's joking as he immediately follows up with: "No, she's a big girl, she can handle herself."

12 February 2018: The couple are spotted holding hands at Ellen DeGeneres' star-studded 60th birthday party. They are seen chatting to Drew Barrymore, as you do, while Chris' ex Gwyneth was also there with her now-husband Brad Falchuck. While this may seem excruciatingly awkward, Gwyneth and Chris seem to get on super well post-divorce, with the Goop founder even sharing an Instagram of Chris and Brad enjoying breakfast together in November last year.

10 May 2018: After Don's intervention, it is the turn of Dakota's actress mother Melanie Griffith to wade in, telling People she "adores" Chris at an event.

"I adore him," she says. "But she is very private about her life and I respect that."

29 July 2018: The relationship appears to have been elevated to the double date level after Dakota and Chris are reportedly seen at a Radiohead gig in Boston with Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul and his wife, Lauren.

5 September 2018: Well, this escalated quickly. It's reported in September that Dakota and Chris have matching infinity symbol tattoos. Within a few days of both being photographed - separately, of course - the distinctive tattoos can be seen on both of their forearms. Interestingggg.

26 September 2018: We have confirmation, people! The 29-year-old actress graces the cover of Tatler. In her interview with the magazine, she is asked about her rumoured beau and gives a sweet, yet coy, response.

"I'm not going to talk about it," she says, according to E! "But I am very happy."

Well, that's something.

8 October 2018: Dakota is forced to deny she is pregnant with Chris Martin's baby after TMZ claims the couple threw a gender reveal party where pink and blue balloons were spotted floating above Chris' LA home.

Her representative clarifies to People that actually Dakota was actually having a birthday party (she turned 29 on 4 October). Her mum and dad, plus Julia Roberts and Sean Penn, are all spotted arriving at the house, suggesting she had one hell of a bash.

17 Jun 2019: Dakota and Chris have reportedly called off their relationship due to their differing views of the future - Chris is allegedly keen to start a family with Dakota, while she reportedly isn't ready to have children. The Sunday Express reports, "Chris made it clear that he wants more kids as soon as possible but Dakota's career has really taken off and that's the last thing she wanted to think about right away.

"It got to the point, last month, where a light seemed to flick on in both their heads and they realised they were pulling in completely opposite directions - so they decided to call it a day."

A source at The Sun added of their split after 18 months, "Chris and Dakota were very easygoing and always seemed really happy together. There was talk of engagement but now he says they have gone their separate ways, which has come as a real surprise to everyone."

6 July 2019 - Dakota Johnson and Coldplay's Chris Martin are reportedly dating again, despite claims they called things off last month.

A source told E! that "they're planning to spend more time together later this summer.", after Us Weekly spotted the pair at the Covers wrap party together last week [31 July]. Chris also joined Dakota at her The Peanut Butter Falcon premiere on Thursday. Could a re-coupling be on the cards?

14 October 2021 - Chris sweetly calls Dakota "my universe" at gig while dedicating a song to her. Introducing Coldplay's song 'My Universe', which is a collab with BTS, Chris told fans, "This is about my universe, and she's here," before pointing up at Dakota in the audience.

In a video captured by fans on Twitter, we can see Dakota smiling back at Chris as she lifts her hands up to face, and it looks as though she's wiping away tears.

Chris continued looking up at Dakota, pointing to her the whole time as he sang the lyrics, "you are my universe and I just want to put you first". Aw, you guys!

December 2021 - Dakota offers a rare insight into the couple's relationship. Speaking to Elle, she gave us all a rare glimpse into their life behind closed doors. "We've been together for quite a while," the Fifty Shades of Grey star said.

"We go out sometimes, but we both work so much that it’s nice to be at home and be cosy and private." That's not to say they don't have their fun though, with the 32-year-old admitting: "Most of the partying takes place inside my house."

January 2022 - Chris crashes Dakota's Zoom interview during the Sundance Film Festival. During an online Q&A for her new movie Cha Cha Real Smooth, Dakota ran into some technical trouble and had to call in Chris for some emergency help.

"Hello, welcome, welcome," the host says as Chris throws a peace sign up to the camera whilst Dakota struggles to contain her laughter. But, not one to steal the limelight, he quietly sneaks out of the room before closing the door behind him and letting his gf get on with her interview. See the full clip here.

More insights, please!

28 June 2022: Dakota opens up about why she and Chris Martin from Coldplay like to keep their private life so, well, private, explaining that it comes from growing up in a famous blended family.

The actor is the daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffiths, and has six half siblings: on her mother's side, she has one half-brother, Alexander Bauer, and one half-sister, Stella Banderas. On her father's side, she has three half-brothers, Jesse, Jasper, and Deacon Johnson and one half-sister, Grace Johnson. Chris, meanwhile, shares two teenage children with Gwyneth Paltrow.

"Maybe I think about relationships like that differently because I grew up in my family," she told Vanity Fair. Of her siblings, she continued, "We were all cool.

"Obviously, there were times where it was not cool, but I experienced that, so I don’t want that in my life. I don’t want any kids to experience anything like that. It’s better to be kind, and it’s also really nice that everybody actually really loves each other and has each other’s backs.”

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