Tom Hiddleston finally explains the story behind that Taylor Swift tank top

It looks like the Tom Hiddleston Taylor Swift Tank Top Incident of 2016 was as rattling for Hiddletston as it was for the rest of us. In a new interview with GQ, the British actor opens up about his now-infamous Fourth of July attire, once and for all explaining why he chose to frolic on an Australian beach wearing a shirt reading “I ♥ T.S.”

Speaking to reporter Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Hiddleston seems eager to finally air out the story of his tank — one that caused people on the internet to chastise him for his seemingly over-eager, stage-five clinger behavior, and tabloids to run wild.

“The truth is, it was the Fourth of July and a public holiday and we were playing a game and I slipped and hurt my back,” he explained.

"I wanted to protect the graze from the sun and said, 'Does anyone have a T-shirt?' And one of her friends said, 'I’ve got this.' And we all laughed about it. It was a joke."

You hear that, internet meanies? The shirt was a joke! false

From the GQ interview, it would seem Hiddleston was truly unsettled by the public’s response to the incident, noting that dating under a microscope is uncomfortable and challenging enough without being criticized for out-of-context photos.

“I have to be so psychologically strong about not letting other people’s interpretations about my life affect my life. A relationship exists between two people. We will always know what it was,” he said. “A relationship always takes work. A relationship in the limelight takes work. And it’s not just the limelight. It’s everything else.”

Poor Tom! He still seems a little broken up about the whole thing.

Still, though, he has only the best things to say about T.Swift, calling her “incredible” and “lovely” during the interview. We wish you the best, sweet Tom!

Filed Under