It’s hard to believe The Voice Australia’s very own Rita Ora and New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi first sparked romance rumours back in 2021.
Despite only a few years passing since their relationship first blossomed, the pair have quickly become one of the strongest couples in Hollywood and it’s safe to say we are obsessed with learning all the details of the cute couple’s history.
From their first interaction in 2018 to their marriage in 2022 and even a look into their blended family. WHO is looking back on Taika Waititi and Rita Ora’s complete relationship history.
How did Rita Ora and Taika Waititi meet?
Despite being highly popular celebs, both Rita Ora and Taika Waititi have kept most details of their relationship under wraps.
We don’t know exactly when the pair began dating, however, Rita did share an Instagram post on Valentine’s Day 2022 which revealed that they met in 2018.
“Us. 4 years ago. To now,” she captioned the throwback picture. “Thanks for being cool. And entertaining me forevs..Happy Valentine’s Day bestie ❤️”
The pair first sparked dating rumours in April 2021, when the singer included a photo of the couple in a gallery of pictures posted to Instagram alongside the caption, “Good times, memories, random things on my phone and the ones I love..❤️ #midweekupdate.”
The pair, who have a 15 year age gap, were both in Australia at the time the rumours began. While Taika was filming Thor: Love and Thunder, Rita was reprising her role as coach on The Voice Australia.
The following month the pair made headlines when they were photographed with actress Tessa Thompson outside of Waititi’s Sydney home engaging in PDA.
“I was doing nothing wrong,” he later told Sydney Morning Herald when asked if the rumours upset him. “I think in the world of the internet, everything goes away pretty quick. And also, ‘is it that big a deal?’ No, not really. I was doing nothing wrong. It’s fine.”
In August of the same year, Taika and Rita made their red carpet debut at The Suicide Squad premiere in Los Angeles, before attending the Met Gala together in September.
By November 2021 the couple had become a mainstay of the Red Carpet, attending the 2021 MTV Europe Music Awards, the Walpole British Luxury Awards and the Being the Ricardos premiere hand in hand.
Throughout 2022, the couple continued to attend events together, stepping out at the Critics’ Choice Awards, the Vanity Fair Oscar Party and even a Dior fashion show.
By June, rumours began to circulate about the pair’s engagement however, Taika avoided any questions about the status of his relationship.
During an interview with This Morning alongside Lightyear costar Chris Evans, the director pretended there was poor connection during the virtual call to avoid a question about if there “were wedding bells coming.”
Are Rita Ora and Taika Waititi married?
Despite refusing to comment on engagement rumours, publications began reporting in August 2022 that the couple had tied the knot, with multiple close sources confirming the news.
In September, Rita made a rare comment on her relationship during the Greatest Night Ever podcast, gushing about her partner.
“I’ve always wanted the fairytale, that’s what I grew up loving,” she said. “For me, it was always about that love, finding a partner, so I’m really happy I did.”
In January 2023, Rita confirmed that she and Taika were indeed married during an interview with Heart Radio Breakfast.
“Yes. Here we are…they say everything happens for a reason. I am officially off the market, people!”
The following month she showed off her stunning emerald wedding ring on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon before revealing a few more details about the pair’s engagement and nuptials.
“I haven’t actually shown anyone my ring. It’s my first time showing my ring, and because I love you and I feel like you’re a part of our relationship, weirdly, because we watch you every night … look here it is,” Rita explained, before revealing that she “may have” helped pick out the ring.
“I felt like I really knew I wanted to be with this person, and I just wanted it to feel really right,” Ora said. “So, I may have taken him to the shop and pointed out exactly what ring I wanted.”
In February 2023, Taika took to Instagram to share his new hand tattoo – the letter R! “I love Rugby,” he joked.
After attending the Met Gala together for the second year in a row, Rita dished some details on their wedding planning in a Glamour UK interview.
“[The wedding was planned] in two to three days, when I was out of cycle, which is what I call it when I’m not in album cycle mode,” she revealed. “His kids were there, and I really wanted them to be a part of it. It was either then or we had to wait for ages.”
“I didn’t want to do it without my stepkids there. So, we just figured it out, and we did it. And it was perfect. I wanted to keep it private because my life and my career aren’t.”
Celebrating their first wedding anniversary in August 2023, the couple shared a never-before-glimpse inside their big day.
“There were about eight people there – just close friends and family and parents on Zoom… It was almost like another day. We just all dressed up and got married,” Taika told Vogue.
“I love working with her,” Taika told the Hollywood Reporter in May 2023 after they collaborated together on Rita’s music video. “It’s just a good laugh. It’s nice being married to and working with someone who’s extremely talented. We’ve got a similar sense of humor and we listen to the same stuff.”
“I was like, ‘I think it’d be cool to really give people an insight into our lives,’ ” Rita told PEOPLE following the release of her album You & I which features voicemails from Waititi. “And he was like, ‘Go for it.’ “
“I love bouncing ideas with him. It’s really cool and easy, and he’s got really great perspective and taste,” she added, before revealing that her husband is her “biggest supporter and advocate.”
During the interview, she also revealed that she hoped to expand their family. “That’s always been a dream of mine,” she said of having kids. Taikia shared two children, Te Hinekahu and Matewa Kiritapu, with ex-wife Chelsea Winstanley, with whom he split from in 2018.
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