Taylor Swift's boyfriend says they have been "successfully very private" in their relationship

He said: "I’m aware people want to know about that side of things.

"I think we have been successfully very private and that has now sunk in for people."

Despite the brief omission, the 27-year-old actor admits he still "prefers" not to talk openly about his private life.

He added to British Vogue magazine: "But I really prefer to talk about work."

In August, the couple were spotted holding hands in London - where Joe is from - just one month after they holidayed together in Turks and Caicos, where they swam in the sea and snorkelled.

A source said at the time: "They were lovey-dovey."

Taylor has previously advised others to "never ever become someone else for the sake of a relationship", and she claimed if someone cheated or wanted "to take a relationship backward" the other half should run.

She said: "I just don't ever want to end up in a relationship that isn't fair ever again."

Taylor and Joe - who starred in Ang Lee's 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' alongside Kristen Stewart and Steve Martin in 2016 - had been dating for months until their romance was revealed in May 2017.

The 'Love Story' hitmaker has dated a string of stars since she shot to fame as a teenage country singing sensation, including Harry Styles, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Mayer, Connor Kennedy, and Tom Hiddleston.

But in 2014, Taylor admitted she was "not comfortable" that her dating life was providing such "entertainment".

She said: "I feel like watching my dating life has become a bit of a national pastime, and I'm just not comfortable providing that kind of entertainment anymore.

"I don't like giving comedians the opportunity to make jokes about me at awards shows.

"And most of all, I don't like how all these factors add up to build the pressure so high in a new relationship that it gets snuffed out before it even has a chance to start."

Taylor famously writes about her relationships in her song lyrics, but doesn't reveal which of her famous exes her tunes are penned about.