EXCLUSIVE: Spider-Man star Zendaya opens up about working with fiancé Tom Holland, calling him her ‘favourite person to work with’, and hints at a possible wedding as she discusses their life between the UK and USMitya Underwood Senior Celebrity & Royal Writer, Thomas Unsworth and Nikki Onafuye
21:16, 24 Jan 2026Updated 21:18, 24 Jan 2026
Zendaya and Tom Holland started dating in 2017(Image: )
They say you should never work with animals or children in showbiz and many in the industry would add your partner to that list. But for double Emmy-winning star Zendaya, nothing could be further from the truth. Having starred in a trio of Spider-Man movies alongside her fiancé Tom Holland, the 29-year-old says doing their day job together is an absolute delight.
The star of 2021’s Dune tells us: “Honestly, I know people might think it’s awkward, he is my favourite person to work with. On set he has this huge calming presence that not only puts me at ease but also everybody he works with. I might be a little biased but he is not only my favourite person, he is my favourite person to work with.”
Zendaya believes balance is the key, adding: “Neither of us want to hide and not live our lives and do normal things like go out for dinner, but at the same time we want to protect our privacy. You have to accept that to a degree some aspects of your privacy are going to be out of your control. But the parts that are in our control, we fiercely protect.”
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Zendaya is opening up on her privacy and being engaged to Tom Holland(Image: )
The acting couple, known to fans as Tomdaya, are set to be thrust even further into the spotlight this year as they co-star in both the Christopher Nolan epic The Odyssey and the latest Spider-Man instalment, Brand New Day, with Zendaya reprising her role as Spidey’s love interest MJ.
Off camera, the pair split their time between the UK and the US and base themselves at Tom’s sprawling Victorian-era house in Richmond, West London when on his home soil. Zendaya, who grew up in Oakland, California, before moving to Los Angeles with her family in her early teens, tells us she has grown to love it here, although a certain Great British delicacy baffles her.
“I think because so much of our work is in LA, [the UK] can’t be a permanent home right now. But it does feel like a home to me,” she says. “When I go to the UK, I don’t feel like a visitor any more. I understand British slang, I get the culture, and I know a ‘nice cup of tea’ makes everything right.
“It really feels like coming home, and I love the people. But I will never understand the fascination with Jaffa Cakes. They just don’t make sense to me! One thing you guys do really well is Indian food. We went to see a show just before Christmas and we had the best curry.”
Another thing that leaves Zendaya feeling conflicted was her shooting to fame as a teenager on the Disney Channel’s Shake It Up. She says: “I have a really complicated relationship when it comes to starting in the industry so young.
“On one hand I am grateful for the opportunities and experience then on the other, there is no doubt I missed out on a lot of regular teenage stuff. My parents were and are super protective of me. I wouldn’t have been able to navigate being in the industry at such a young age without them.”
So far though, the Californian star has avoided the pitfalls that have derailed so many other Hollywood child stars. In fact, things could not be going better. This year is set to be her biggest and busiest to date with no fewer than four blockbuster releases and her long-awaited reprise of Rue Bennett in the third and final season of Euphoria, not to mention a possible wedding to plan with Tom, also 29.
At the moment she is gearing up for her first offering of 2026, The Drama, in which she plays bride-to-be Emma Harwood alongside another British star, Robert Pattinson. Having transitioned from child star to respected adult actor, Zendaya is conscious of how she behaves – and is treated – as a woman.
Zendaya says Tom Holland is her favourite person to work with(Image: )
There are long-standing rumours that she has a “no nudity” clause in her contract but her role in what was described as the “absurdly sexy” 2024 film Challengers certainly erased any lingering Disney Channel associations.
That said, Zendaya takes the subject seriously, and is acutely aware of the fine line between sexy and sexualisation. She says: “I don’t think any women should ever accept being sexualised and I am careful with the roles I choose.
“As an industry we should be so grateful to all the brave women that spoke up during the MeToo movement. But that wasn’t the end of the problem. We have to continue to speak out when there is wrongdoing.”
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